
Class _TDSL^M. 

Book_ lS i^__ 

Copyright }1^ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSre 




ABSALOM D. SHABAZ. 



LAND OF THE 



LION AND THE SUN 



Personal Experiences, the Nations of Persia— 

Their M/tnners, Customs, and 

Their Belief 



BY 



Absalom D. Shabaz 

Author of "'Vloh''.mmed the Last Proph^.t" 



ILLUSTRATED 



MADISON, WIS. 

PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR 

1901 



THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two Copies Reccived 

JUN. 22 1901 

Copyright entry 

CLASS CLxXa No. 

COPY3. 



Copyrighted 1901 
By Absalom D. Shabaz 






Tracy, Gibbs & Co., Printers, Madison, Wis. 



PREFACE, 



The purpose of this book is not merely to set forth the condi- 
tions of Persia, though it includes the social characteristics of 
the people, the religious beliefs of the Eastern churches which 
to many of you are perhaps but little known, the ecclesiastical 
customs, and the nations of Persia in general. But its object is 
to encourage the missionary spirit ; ^to quicken and kindle anew 
the fires of divine love in the hearts of all to whom this book 
may come ; to spread the blessed Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ ; 
to hasten the day when millions that now sit in darkness and 
the shadow of death may turn their faces toward the light. I 
hope no Christian will fail to give serious and sympathetic atten- 
tion to my efforts in spreading the Gospel among my countrymen 
the Mohammedans. 

The profits of this book and all funds sent to the author will 
be used for the purpose of erecting a school building, purchasing 
a printing press, an organ, and other useful things suitable for a 
Christian mission, and for the spreading of the Gospel in Persia. 

ABSALOM D. SHABAZ. 



REV, HASERODT'S LETTER, 



This book, entitled: "Land of the Lion and the Sun," written 
by Absalom D. Shabaz, will prove, we judge, both highly inter- 
esting and instructive to the reader. The author's description of 
hardships and sufferings endured by him after announcing to his 
parents, relatives and friends, his intention of devoting the re- 
mainder of his life to the spreading of the saving Gospel of 
Jesus Christ among his countrymen, is extremely fascinating, 
and might well serve to encourage particularly those among us 
whose faith in the Saviour is being put to test by divers persecu- 
tions and sufferings. Instructive the book will be found to be 
in as much as it points out customs peculiar to the Oriental peo- 
ple, and sets forth the essential teachings of the various false re - 
ligions spread throughout the extensive Persian Empire. One 
cannot fail to realize what a blessing the Gospel in its purity 
would be to those millions over there, who for ages have groped 
about in spiritual darkness, which must lead them to everlasting 
night and death. All prayers and efforts, and aid rendered by us 
in behalf of the spreading of the Gospel in Persia is most 
assuredly in accordance with the will and desire of our Savior 
of whom we read, Matth. 9, 36-38 : "But when Jesus saw the mul- 
titudes. He was moved with compassion on them, because they 
fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 
Tlien saith He unto His disciples, the harvest truly is plenteous, 
but the laborers are few ; pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the har- 
vest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest." 

H. Haserodt, 
Pastor Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, St. Paul, 
Minn. 



PROF, BRANDT'S LETTER, 



To the average American Lutheran, Persia is in one sense no 
more an unknown country. The main facts concerning its geog- 
raphy and political liistory are taught in our schools. But the 
number of those who are acquainted with the social and religious 
conditions of its people is comparatively small. In the present 
book Mr. A.- D. Shabaz, himself a native of Persia, gives consid- 
erable information on this subject. Time and opportunity for 
verifying all his statements particularly concerning the religious 
past of Persia have been lacking ; but he undeniably succeeds in 
making the reader realize the present religious needs of his 
countrymen. This Is the chief merit of the book, and the main 
reason for wishing it a ready sale. It is Mr. Shabaz's declared 
intention to use the proceeds for the purpose of studying theology 
at our Lutheran institutions and of eventually beginning a 
Lutheran mission in Persia. 

O. E. Brandt, 
Luther Seminary, Hamline, Minn. 



INTRODUCTION, 



While doing missionary work among my countrymen I felt 
the need of fitting myself more. thoroughly for the advancement 
of the kingdom of our Lord. Therefore I came to America for 
the purpose of preparing myself for the service and seeking to 
obtain a fuller knowledge of the Scriptures, and to identify my- 
self with an organized church body. 

In this country I have come in contact with many ministers 
and have spoken in their churches on behalf of my people and 
my work among various nations throughout Persia. Up to 
the fall of 1900 I had labored without discrimination in different 
congregations, and had interested individuals in my work, espe- 
cially in the erection of a building for a Christian school ; I had 
not yet become aflS.liated with any particular denomination. 
The thought of joining with some church body had long stirred 
my heart ; I longed for the sympathy and prayer of tliose whom 
I knew to be my brethren and sisters in faith. But not having 
found the church which taught and practiced the truth as I had 
so far learned to know it from the Scriptures, I was waiting and 
hoping, by the gracious guidance of God, to meet with such a 
church denomination which proclaimed the full truth of the 
Gospel in its purity. 

During a visit to Madison, Wjis., August, 1900, I became 
acquainted with Rev. M. C. Waller, pastor of the Evangelical 
Lutheran Church, and to this fortunate meeting I am greatly 
indebted. Mr. Waller took an interest in me and my work, and 
has proven a sincere friend. In conversations with Mr. Waller 
in regard to the tenets of the Lutheran church, I found this 
church to be the only church that teaches in its purity the evan- 
gehcal doctrine which I had learned from the ancient manu- 



scripts explaining the teachings of the Bible, while in Persia. 
These precious doctrines I longed to know and understand more 
fully, and to proclaim them in my schools at home, because I 
knew this to be my Christian duty. Upon my friend's advice I 
secured entrance to Luther Seminary, at Hamline, Minn., iden- 
tifying myself with the Evangelical Lutheran Church. 

My desire and intention is, to become well grounded in the 
Lutheran doctrine, then, God willing, to go back to Persia, 
preach and teach the truth which I have learned by the help of 
this grand church. I hope to be able to build upj^ mission and 
a school among the Mohammedans for the Chri Jian education 
of both sexes, and it will.be under the auspices ofl^he Norwegian 
Luthei'an Synod. 

God grant that it may be i^ossible to send some of our young 
converts to Luther college and the Seminary, where they might 
receive a full understanding of the Holy Scriptures, and become 
mighty workers among their own people. I make an appeal to 
all my fellow Christians, to assist in carrying the pure Gospel to 
the benighted multitudes of a false religion. 

The Author. 

Luther Seminary, Hamline, St. Paul, Minn. 



CONTENTS, 



PAGE. 

Personal History 1 

School and Printing 34 

Modern Persia 43 

Mohammed and Mohammedanism 48 

Fire Worshipers 108 

Yezidis, or Devil Worshipers 115 

The Kurds 120 

The Armenians '. 137 

The Nestorians — Assyrians 163 

Mohammedans and Christianity Compared. Questions 

Concerning the Creator and the Faith 176 



ILLUSTRATIONS, 



PAGE. 



Frontispiece. 

David Bar Joseph in Mohammedan Priest Costume 15 

Mar Gabriel, Bishop of the Nestorians at Oroomiah City 

and his Nephew, who were Massacred by the Kurds. 25 

Absalom D. Shabaz in Persian High Class Costume 39 

Agha-Mohammed-Khan, the Founder of the Present Dyn- 
asty, and Feth-AUe-Shah, one of the Persian Kings 42 

Abbas Effendi 51 

Mohammedan Villagers 54 

Mohammedan Lady in Out-door Costume 57 

Five Gentlemen on a Hunting Trip 66 

Zoroaster, the Founder of the Fire Worshiper's Religion. 109 

A Devil Worshiper's Priest 116 

A Kurdish Highwayman 121 

An Armenian Christian Lady 150 

Three Nestorians from Kurdistan Mountains 168 

A Nestorian Christian Lady 173 

A Syrian Christian Lady 138 



CHAPTER I. 
PERSONAL HISTORY, 



I was born in the district of Aderbajan, north- 
western part of Persia, on the fifteenth day of July, 
1874, in the little village Geogtapha, four miles from 
Oroomiah City. Both city and village are famous in 
tht ancient and modern history of Persia as the home 
of distinguished and learned scholars; and to-day 
men are found there who are well fitted for the ad- 
vancement of the kingdom of our Lord. 

The village Geogtapha derives its name from 
"Geogtapha, " the blue hill, one of the hills remaining 
from the time of the fire-worshipers. It contains 
about 300 families, mainly Nestorians and Assyrians. 
Here is found "Asleys Spring," which attracts visi- 
tors from many parts of the country, who leave in 
sadness and ofttimes with tears in their eyes. Here 
is found the image which the Babylonians worshiped, 
dated centuries before Christ; also relics of the 
Pharsess, or fire-worshipers, which are a proof of 
their worship of hand-made images. And here are 
found the tombs of men who were firm in confessing 
the Christian faith, and became martyrs to their 
trusting faith in the Saviour. 

The territory of Oroomiah, enclosed by the moun- 
tains and the lake of the same name, and comprising 
an area of five hundred square miles, has no less than 



three hundred hamlets and villages. The city near 
the center of the plain is built on ground rising 400 
feet above the lake. The lake, ninety miles in length 
by thirty in width, is 4,000 feet above the level of the 
sea, and its waters are so salt that fish cannot live 
in them. The plain has fruitful fields, gardens and 
vineyards, and is irrigated by considerable streams of 
pure water. The landscape is one of the loveliest in 
the East. Such is the place where my home is 
located. 

At an early period of my life Mohammedanism had 
gained considerable power over the Christians and the 
Jews, but still Christ, the morning star, shone brightly 
over the little band of helpless Christians. Enemies 
had tried to exterminate all the followers of Christ, 
the light of the world, but the hand of the Almighty 
protected the lovers of His name, and did mercifully 
rest them on His everlasting promises even in the time 
of trouble. 

As a rule, all the Christians who dwell in Persia, or 
all who are descendants of Christians, baptize their 
children at a very early age. My parents, therefore, 
had me baptized while an infant, in Mar-Zaya, one of 
the Nestorian churches, and the only church in the 
village of Geogtapha at the time. In later years they 
were interested in the educational work in the village, 
which was conducted by native Christian teachers. 
When I was five or six years of age they sent me to 
school. i\t first I was treated with kindness, but was 
soon beaten with a switch on my hands and feet till I 
bled profusely, and was unable to walk or use my 



fingers for a long period of time. Frequently I was 
forced to hold one of the little fellows on my back 
while he was being beaten by the teacher. It was a 
very common occurrence that the teacher would 
threaten the boy, if he dared cry or move while on 
my back, with double the punishment. 

Newcomers were at first treated kindly, but later on 
punished unmercifully. Our teacher was wont to say: 
• 'The switch has come from Paradise for little children, 
therefore you must not complain." Naturally we 
complained to our parents, but they said: "The 
teacher knows better than you, and he will make 
strong men of you," so we dared not resist, but had 
to bear the punishment. 

The following year we had a new teacher who did 
not apply the'switch, but used other modes of pun- 
ishment. The punishments of winter were: To stand 
bare-footed in the snow for about fifteen or twenty 
minutes, or hold a piece of ice in the hand for the 
same length of time. The punishments of summer 
were: To stand on the right foot and hold up a 
weight of three or four pounds in the right hand for a 
certain length of time; or we were stood against the 
wall to be spat at by the boys, and were called 
"Jew, Jew." These were the punishments for being 
absent from school, or if we did not give satisfaction 
in our lessons, or disobeyed any of the following 
rules of the teacher: 

1. Every boy must wash his hands and face every 
morning, and salute his parents before leaving the 
house. 



2. Every boy must wash his feet and legs up to his 
knees at least once a week. 

3. Every boy must leave his shoes in the hall and 
place them properly before entering the schoolroom. 

4. No one must speak during the school hours, nor 
call others nick-names. 

5. No one is allowed to drink water by the big 
pitcher. 

6. No one must bake nuts or raisins on the stove, 
or touch it with the hand. 

7. Every boy must salute old people, in the street 
or elsewhere, whether he knows them or not. 

8. Every one obeying these rules, will receive a 
reward at the close of the school term. 

In the village schools I learned to read and write; 
studied geography, arithmetic, Turkish, modern and 
ancient Syriac, committed to memory the Lord's 
Prayer, Apostles' Creed, the Ten Commandments, 
and a few portions of the New and Old Testaments. 

At the age of twelve, in the year 1886, I entered 
the preparatory school of the Presbyterians at Oroo- 
miah City, and remained there' for three years. My 
reader will readily understand, in this school I took 
higher branches and had more religious instruction 
than in the country schools. 

In the year 1889, I entered the Oroomiah College, 
the only higher educational institution in that district 
at the time. It was conducted by the Presbyterian 
mission board. Any young man seeking an educa- 
tion might attend this college. Many young men 
had come from different parts of the country to obtain 



5 

an education, preparing themselves for some work of 
their choice. Here I had a splendid opportunity to 
learn the native languages, and to study the Scrip- 
tures, which was my heart's desire; I also took all 
other classes according to the rules of the institution. 
I attended here three successive springs, and taught 
school in the country during my winter vacations. 

I must admit that I at first punished the boys in 
my school in the same manner in which I had been 
punished. I taught four different languages, namely: 
Syriac, Persian,- Turkish, and Chaldean, also arith- 
metic and geography. But the object of the school 
was not merely to teach the languages. My purpose 
was a higher and nobler one, to lead my pupils to 
Christ, the friend of little children. This end, I soon 
perceived, could not be accomplished by indiscrim- 
inate use of the switch, but rather through simple 
instruction in the Word of God, and in this work I 
needed to be prompted by the love of Jesus. 

Instead of inventing modes of punishment, I re- 
garded it my duty to instruct the boys from out the 
Bible, and taught them the Lord's Prayer, the Ten 
Commandments, and the Apostles' Creed. I now for 
the first time took the Bible and visited the parents 
of the boys, reading to them from the Gospel. I 
could not preach as yet, but only read. Sometimes 
I would read from six to ten chapters, and they 
wanted me to come again. They said: "We never 
tire of hearing the Word of God." Their encouraging 
words filled me with an earnest desire daily to read 
the Word of God to hungry souls. This experience 



gave me knowledge of the spiritual needs of the peo- 
ple round about me. 

Satan assailed me at times, but the clear passages 
of Scripture guided me to the place of refuge, "Cast 
thy burden upon the Lord." I cried unto my Saviour, 
who always, and even now, for the sake of His suffer- 
ing and death brought peace and comfort to my 
troubled heart, and the blessed hope of eternal salva- 
tion. I besought Him to have mercy upon me and 
protect me against sin and Satan, those powerful ene- 
mies of my soul. The Saviour graciously heard my 
prayers and kept me from falling a prey to the temp- 
tations of the evil one. After having thus experienced 
the saving grace of Jesus, how could I but prove my 
faith in Him and show my love toward Him.-* The 
love of Jesus urged me to testify of Him to such as 
knew Him not. 

I now gave a more serious attention to the Koran 
and other religious books of the Mohammedans, in 
order to be able to point out the falsehoods and errors 
of their false prophet, and bring unto my people the 
blessed Gospel of Christ, which alone satisfies the 
needs of the human heart; also the manuscripts which 
I had purchased for the purpose of obtaining a better 
understanding of the Holy Scriptures, formed a part 
of my study. 

I knew the language, the country and the natives, 
and it was my earnest desire to bring Mohammedans 
unto the light of the Gospel. I was certain many 
would leave their idle hopes and accept Christ if they 
only had the privilege of hearing the Word of Life. I 



did not doubt that many were anxious to receive 
Christ as their Saviour, and I believed many souls 
could be saved if they but had a preacher. I was cer- 
tain, too, that a great many would prejudicate and 
persecute me; but I said, only death shall keep me 
from my mission. 

In speaking so freely, I incurred the enmity of my 
own people, who were not pleased with this step; but 
by the grace of God and through the financial assist- 
ance of my father, I was enabled to enter the service. 
Many openly opposed me; many of them attempted 
to turn my heart, but in vain. There were few to 
sympathize with me in my dangerous undertaking, 
and no one to comfort me; only the words of my 
Heavenly Father, "I will never leave thee nor forsake 
thee, even unto the end," gave me sufficient strength 
and courage. 

I tried my utmost to comfort my parents during 
the last few days of my stay at home. Finally the 
hour of parting came; I must take leave of them; we 
might never meet again! I do not wish to bring back 
to my memory their cries and calls, but can never 
forget my silvery-haired grandmother^ as she knelt 
on the ground, with her arms toward heaven, beseech- 
ing me that I must not leave her. I closed my eyes 
so as not to see my beloved friends in the hour of 
lamentation, and departed for the journey, thinking 
of the words which Christ spoke, "Whosoever doeth 

^ When one leaves his home for a distant journey, according 
to the custom of the country Ms near relatives cast dust upon 
their heads, cry and mourn for him several days. 



8 

the will of my Father, he is my mother, brother and 
sister." 

I would have stayed and labored among my people 
at home, but the district of Oroomiah is mostly inhab- 
ited by the Nestorians, and as there were many Pres- 
byterian, Catholic, and Episcopal missionaries seek- 
ing to counteract the influence of each other, and as 
I did not wish to unite with them, nor to mingle with 
the people among whom they had settled, I left 
this place to proclaim the Gospel unto such as had 
not heard of sects, and were ignorant as well of 
divine revelation. At first I had been in sympathy 
with whatever the above mentioned representatives 
of Christian sects taught, but as soon as I obtained a 
fuller knowledge of the Scriptures by reading a few 
ancient Syriac manuscripts^ which correctly interpret 
the Bible, I became convinced that these missionaries 
did not teach the Gospel in its purity and simplicity, 
and I could therefore not agree with them. I found 
it also necessary to go to the capital to settle a few 
business matters for my father. The prospect of taking 
this journey delighted me greatly, for I had long wished 
for it. Having the capital in view, I left Oroomiah 
to do missionary work and to attend to my father's 
business. 

Reaching a caravan that I was to join, I found all 
the travelers except myself to be Mohammedans. 
They were about fifty in number. Some had horses, 
others mules or camels. The music, the singing, the 

1 For contents of these manuscripts see Chapter IX, 



shouting, and the sound of the bells that hung on the 
necks of our animals could be heard a mile away. In 
the evening, every man smoked his opium and be- 
haved as he was accustomed to do; women also 
smoked. I had to entertain myself, and I thought of 
my duties toward such a people. I knew it was not 
an easy matter to converse with them about the 
Christian religion; on the other hand, to bring these 
poor, lost souls under the Christian banner was the 
sole purpose of my leaving home. I prayed — Lord! 
Thou knowest that these people do not believe in 
Thee, for they know Thee not. Thou knowest, they 
have not heard of Thy Son, Jesus Christ. And Thou 
knowest, I have devoted my life, by Thy grace, to 
proclaim unto them Thy Word and Thy Truth. 
Father, give me Thy Spirit and power, that I may 
not fear those that kill the body! 

Within a few days I had spoken to several of them. 
They did not agree with me, but showed no sign of 
wanting to ill-treat me. Within a short time all 
knew what I intended to do. Occasionally they ap- 
proached me and asked questions about the Christian 
religion. I spoke to them the Truth which I had 
learned from the Scriptures. At times, when some 
did not like my speech, they rushed at me with their 
knives to take my life. I spoke fearlessly and gently; 
and nearly always some one from among their com- 
pany would defend me, telling them I was not de- 
serving of such treatment. (This was the beginning 
of my work among the Mohammedans, which took 
place about the year 1893; while at home I had labored 
among the Nestorians and Assyrians. ) 



lO 

I told them I did not fear death, as I knew I would 
be saved, but that they must answer for it if they 
took my life. Some of them appeared to be friendly, 
yet I knew my life was not safe while among them. I 
scattered the seed of divine truth among them, but 
many of my companions seemed to become hardened 
at hearing me. Whenever we passed a rocky place, 
they attempted to throw me down; often while cross- 
ing rivers they tried to push me into the water, but 
the Lord saved me. from their hands. 

The people in the interior are ignorant, but at the 
same time cruel. They have no education of any 
kind to speak of. They live among the rocky moun- 
tains of Persia. Their houses are under the ground. 
People and cattle live in the same dug-out. They eat 
and sleep under the same roof, without any comfort 
or peace, and everywhere sin and misery abound. 
Human beings seem like wild beasts, ready to kill for 
a trifle. We spent nights in their homes, — sheep, 
oxen, horses and men sleeping in one circle. I visited 
families and groups of people, trying to bring them 
the Gospel. There was opportunity to work among 
them without much danger, as these people have 
scarcely any religion. My words seemed strange to 
them at first, but they soon understood my mission, 
and I taught them Christian truths. Many were 
pleased to hear me speak of God. Many promised 
not to steal nor disobey what I had spoken to them, 
but try to be honest and true to God. They were sorry 
when I left; asking me to return to them again, and 
in the meantime to pray for them. I felt happy and 



II 

satisfied with the results of my brief visit to these 
people, and departed rejoicing- in my soul, with a 
more hopeful spirit to continue my work. 

When approaching large towns, my companions 
seemed gentle and social; when out in the country 
they were rough and cruel, knowing there would 
be only a few to protect me; and whenever we 
stopped on our journey they spread the rumor that I 
was an infidel. At Salmas, Tabrez, Zangon, and 
Caspian, principal cities of the district, I met with a 
few missionaries who did the same work as I. In 
these cities one had the opportunity to work among 
Armenians and Syrians. The leaders of the Moham- 
medans are strongly opposed to Christian workers, 
and will not allow any one to preach the Gospel in 
public or even in private if it becomes known to them. 

At length we came to Teheran, the capital of 
Persia^ where I parted from my company, and secured 
a place to begin my work in that great city. I re- 
mained there nearly two years, and met with fair 
success, though I suffered persecutions and attacks 
while teaching in my day school, also in our meet- 
ings. One evening I was called to visit a family. 
Some enemies of the Gospel had watched me closely. 
As I opened the door to leave, a gun was fired, aimed, 
as it seemed, at my face. I fell to the ground. The 
bullet missed me, but the powder nearly blinded my 
eyes and affected my head to such an extent that I 
suffered from it for a long time. Another time I was 
going home from a meeting held at the home of a 
new convert, about QtSO in the evening. That is 



12 

considered a very late hour in the city. I carried no 
lantern on this occasion, for fear I might be seen and 
attacked. I crossed a vacant lot near the settlement 
of the English consul, then turned to the right oil my 
way to the American settlement. ^ Suddenly some 
one came running and took and dragged me aside, 
threatening to stab me if I dared utter a sound. 
Aware of the danger, I braced myself for victory or 
death; I had nothing with which to defend myself. 
The stranger asked me to go back with him through 
the vacant lot, but I refused, anticipating his evil in- 
tentions. He, however, compelled me by force to 
walk with him a few yards. I knew that a little fur- 
ther on I would have the point of the cold steel 
thrust into my heart. While we were walking on I 
pushed him into the ditch and ran back. As I turned 
to see if he was following me, he fired his pistol at 
me, wounding me in the left leg. Even to-day the 
bullet wound brings back to me the recollection of 
that awful night. Again and again they secretly at- 
tempted to kill me, and that too, in the very heart of 
the great capital. My Heavenly Father, however, 
kept me safe. He scattered the enemies even as 
chaff before the wind. He made them tremble to ap- 
pear before the magistrates for persecuting His ser- 
vant without cause. He turned their courage into 
cowardice. He destroyed their hidden plans, and 
made them stumble in the night; and graciously did 



^ I was, let me add, the guest of the clerk, Merza-Kahraman, 
my friend, to whom I frequently allude in this book. 



13 

He guard His servant against all harm and danger. 
He watched over me by night, and gave me courage 
by day to preach His word without fearing the perse- 
cutions. "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, 
Thou wilt revive me: Thou shalt stretch forth Thine 
hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and Thy 
right hand shall save me." 

Here at Teheran I met Fakr-Il-leslam "the crown 
of Mohammedanism," whom they call second Mo- 
hammed, and who is one of Christianity's fiercest 
foes. I saw the book which he has written against 
the Bible. He is endeavoring to stop all the Bible- 
workers from laboring among his people. He is my 
uncle. He, however, accepted Mohammedanism 
when he was a child, and since then has labored in 
the interests of that religion. We often spoke to- 
gether, and I told him that he was sinning against 
God and his own better knowledge. One time he 
asked me, would Christ forgive him if he turned to be 
a believer in his last days.-* I said, it might be too 
late — why not now.-* His self-righteousness would 
not permit him to sink down in repentance before 
Jesus. Yet I hope God will some day break the 
carnal will of this man and make him a true believer. 
Should he become a Christian, he would undoubtedly 
prove a great help to the cause of Christ. 

Through his influence I gained the acquaintance of 
many priests and high officers. He thought, per- 
haps, I would change my faith and come to believe 
in Mohammed by associating with the nobility of the 
capital. Contrary to his opinion, I tried, wherever I 



went, to interest my acquaintances in the Christian 
work, and spoke the Word of God to them. I also 
gave them copies of the New Testament, hoping that 
by reading them they might find the way to Christ. 
My uncle, obtaining knowledge of nay work, became 
enraged. He invited me to his house, chained me 
hand and foot, and tied me by the neck to a nail in 
the wall, and ordered his servants to take off my 
clothes; he then brought some sticks or willow wands, 
which he had kept in water to prevent them from 
breaking easily. The servants, and he also, sur- 
rounded me, each armed with a stick, with which 
they whipped my feet and body, until the sticks were 
broken. The blood had spotted the stones all around 
me; even his white garments were stained by drops 
of blood. He wanted to force me to promise him 
that I would immediately give up all missionary work 
in the city. I, however, did not promise, and was 
left in the same condition until the next morning; 
then new sticks were brought and the savage perform- 
ance of the day before was repeated for an hour or 
more. Merza Kahraman, however, came to my res- 
sue and relieved me from further torture. I am much 
indebted to this gentleman for his kindness and good 
service. 

Shortly before this incident took place several mol- 
lahs or priests and I were in the same carriage going 
to Shah-abdel-azem, ^ to see the procession at the an- 

^ Shah-abdel-azem is a httle town about fifteen miles south of 
Teheran. The tombs of the Persian kings are found here. It is 
also a place of refuge for the Mohammedans. 




DAVID BAR JOSEPH. 

IN MOHAMMEDAN PRIEST COSTUME. 



i6 

niversary of the Shah's accession to the throne. At 
the end of the journey^ the moUah nearest to me 
showed signs of anger and was very unpleasant. I 
asked him what the cause was. In reply he said, be- 
cause my clothes touched his, and I being a Christian, 
this would prevent an answer to his prayers. Never- 
theless, they had taken me out that day for the sake 
of compelling me to become a Mohammedan; of this 
I became aware afterwards. But on the same day the 
Shah was shot, and they were unable to carry out 
their plan. 

Fearing further persecutions, I left Teheran for a 
visit to Koasestan. The weather was exceedingly 
hot and we rested in the open fields, beside springs 
of water and amid green pastures. This gave pleas- 
ure to the stranger, and here was food and drink for 
the cattle, and here life to the natives. My thoughts 
were lifted to Him who is the creator and preserver 
of all. But also amid these beautiful surroundings 
my troubles continued. In the day-time weariness 
and cruel companions; at night, fear of robbery and 
murder. But I entrusted my life into the care of my 
Saviour, Jesus, and praised His name. 

The Lord my God I praise and bless, 
For He has heard my soul's distress ; 
And has inclined His ear to me, 
If then. He now the same will be. 

The Lord protected me and I went about my work 
as before. Wherever I met natives, I spoke to them 
the cheerful words of the Gospel; if I met a man who 
could read I gave him a copy of the New Testament. 



17 

During six months of my stay in that district, I 
worked happily and cheerfully in each town and vil- 
lage through which we passed. On this journey I 
learned to know more fully the spiritual needs of the 
natives, and with a happy heart, I preached the Word 
of God to my countrymen, the Mohammedans. After 
visiting a few other districts, I departed for Ader- 
bajan, to visit my new converts and my parents. 
Winter had entered the land, clothing mountains and 
plains in its spotless robe of purity. The stately 
trees were robbed of their foliage. All the beauties 
and pleasures of the summer days had passed away. 
Instead of the calm, mild sunshine of summer there 
was the wind and cold of winter. Traveling over the 
rocky mountains at this time of the year was a danger- 
ous undertaking, and we also feared it. Far as we 
could see, our eyes beheld in the distance groups of 
natives passing by in noisy caravans. At this time our 
party was composed of six men with their horses to 
carry us through the snow. 

Two of the men and I stopped at a small hotel to 
buy some refreshments; the rest took care of our horses 
and moved on slowly. About half an hour later we 
started after our companions, who had passed around 
the hill and were out of view. We should never see 
them again! Alas! in a few minutes a snow storm swept 
across the road. The snow fell thick and fast. We 
kept close to each other, but soon strayed from the 
road. We lost the right direction, but plodded on 
over hills and through valleys with no one to 
guide us. We struggled in this way for several 



i8 

hours until I became exhausted. I told my comrades 
to continue until they found a village or an inn, then 
to send some one to my rescue, lest I should perish 
here in the snow. I tried to banish all thought of the 
danger and the icy cold, but it was impossible. Death 
stared me in the face! Thus I suffered for several 
hours, and there was no hope of human assistance. 
In my distress I turned to God in prayer: Lord! be 
merciful to me a sinner, save my life that I may labor 
in Thy field; not that I wish to live for myself, but 
that I may bring lost Mohammedans unto Thy truth. 
"Father, Thy will be done, not mine." At last I 
heard foot-steps and men talking, but was unable to 
call to them. They came near and found me alive 
in my icy grave; they pulled me out, tied me on a 
horse, and brought me to their home. They fre- 
quently offered me opium to smoke, but I refused, as 
I had not smoked it for three years. They recom- 
mended it as a certain cure for my sickness, and said 
if I did not smoke I must die. I said I knew what 
opium is, and had smoked it before, and would never 
touch it again, even though I die. There were no 
doctors to attend to me, but God restored my life 
once'more. In a few weeks, I could eat, drink and 
go about perfectly well. 

We had not heard from our missing friends, our 
horses and the goods, and did not know whether they 
were dead or alive. We could not hire any horses 
from the village, and had to walk to a larger town to 
look for our friends. The next day we traveled afoot 
from morning till night. I nearly lost all my strength. 



19 

and my feet became very sore. On the following day 
we sent one of our company to secure horses for us, 
but he never returned, although we waited for several 
days. We were therefore compelled to walk until we 
could find a place where we might hire some horses. 
We were not acquainted in those hilly parts of the 
country. We took a path which had been used be- 
fore. Further on the snow had covered up all foot- 
prints, and we ploughed our way through the snow. 
We increased our speed in order to find a place to 
stay for the night. Unfortunately we had missed the 
right direction to the village and were wandering about 
between the rocks and valleys. My friend became 
so weary that he sat down and begged me not to 
leave him. Soon he could not speak at all, but I 
could see tears in his eyes. Then his hands fell life- 
less by his side; with a heavy sigh he closed his eyes 
and breathed his last. I looked with sadness at the 
man who had died before my eyes, for he had passed 
into eternity without the knowledge of a Saviour. 

I left the lifeless body, if possible, to save my own 
life. I seemed to have no feeling in my feet, and my 
eyelashes were covered with ice. I hurried up and 
down the hills, and commenced to feel warmer; but I 
did not know where I was going. At a turn in the 
roadway, between two steep cliffs, I suddenly espied 
two wolves, one on each side of the road. The sight 
of them made me tremble. It got dark before my 
eyes; my hair almost stood on end; I shouted and 
screamed, but they cast a greedy look at me. Must 
I fall a prey to wild beasts in this wintry night.^* for I 



20 



saw no way to escape from them. I turned again in 
prayer to my Heavenly Father, imploring^ His help. 
The animals stood still and stared grimly at me, as 
though they would say: It is in vain that you cry; we'll 
do what we please. Suddenly one of them sprang to 
the other side. I at once crossed the road and made 
for the hili. They chased me, and, as wolves are 
wont to do, threw snow into my face to blind me. 
At times they were in front of me, then again they 
would fall behind, only to begin the chase anew. I 
almost lost my life, but the Lord who saved Daniel 
from the lions, saved me from the wolves. Through 
His mercy they did not touch me, though they were 
close upon me. At such a moment and in a place 
like this, one realizes the sweetness of God's promise: 
<'The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them 
that fear Him, and delivereth them." Ps. 34, 7. 

Having again been saved from danger, I hurried 
away from this place, and ran till I saw a light from a 
window a short distance ahead of me, but it seemed 
so far in the dark night of fear. When I reached the 
house, a man opened the door. I entered with a 
mingled feeling of joy and fear. I fell in a dead faint, 
remaining unconscious until the next morning. When 
I had regained my consciousness, they asked me 
about my friend, for I had spoken a great deal of him 
during the night, they said. A little later in the day 
a traveler brought my friend, who was -dead. He was 
buried according to Mohammedan rites. 

Now came days of intense pain and suffering. My 
heavy traveling boots had caused my feet to swell. 



21 

The skin on my face and hands was pealing off, for 
they had used the oven-method to thaw me out. 
After three days I was carried to the village inn. I 
still had another three days' journey to the large 
town. The inn-keeper secured a man for me, who 
was to render all needed assistance and accompany 
me to the town; he also furnished a horse for my con- 
venience. I could not ride, however, the cold being 
too severe for my tender body, and I was compelled 
to walk all the way on snow that weakened my 
eyes till I could see no more. I suffered much for 
many days, and the only remedy was nicotine, which 
they took from their pipes and applied to my eyes. 
But all these things, and especially God's care for me, 
even in times of greatest peril, had done much to 
strengthen my faith and arm me against whatever 
dangers might still beset me. 

When I reached Tabrez I enjoyed the hospitality 
of my Syrian friends, who procured for me the care 
and treatment of a skillful physician. As soon as I 
was able to proceed on my journey I left for my home 
at Oroomiah. According to Persian custom, I sent a 
messenger to my parents, while yet a day's journey 
from home, that he might announce my return. My 
parents came to meet me and wept tears of joy, for 
they had heard long ago that I was dead. They 
hardly knew me, as the hardships that I had endured 
during my absence had wonderfully changed my ap- 
pearance. The love of dear ones and the comforts of 
home enabled me soon to regain my former health 
and vigor, and I well nigh forgot the troubles of by- 



22 

gone days. From among the cold highlands of Ader- 
bajan, and through the wild mountains of Persia, I 
had been brought in safety to my home at Oroomiah, 
and the bright prospects of usefulness had opened 
before me. In all the perils through which I had 
passed, the angel of the Lord had encamped round 
about me for my deliverance. 

My relatives and friends came to me, saying that, 
had I obeyed them, I should not have seen all the 
troubles which I had seen during my absence. I told 
them I would take the same step again; that to obey 
God is better than to please men, and wherever I 
might fare — at home, among savages, or abroad — I 
would do what my Master wanted me to do, through- 
out my entire life; and for His sake I am willing to 
lay down my life. With Paul I can say, ''that neither 
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor pow- 
ers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, 
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to sep- 
arate"me ' 'from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus 
our Lord." I cannot serve the world and God, but 
must be on one side. I walked the broad way of sin 
and found it led to destruction and eternal ruin. 
Now I will tread the narrow path, though I may have 
steep hills to cross. I will also remember that flesh 
and blood cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven; and 
if any one loves the heavenly kingdom more that this 
earth, he must deny all, and confess Christ to his fel- 
low-men. I told them I would follow the right way, 
and invited them all to accompany me. If they would 
not do so, I would close my ears and not hear their 



23 

request to me to return to the world, I knew I was 
doing what was right. My message to the world is: 
Believe in Jesus and follow in His footsteps. I am 
in the world to do good, I said, otherwise I would be 
a fruitless tree that ought to be cut down and not 
waste the ground. A useful tree ought then to take 
my place. Whenever I hear that my fellow-men are in 
need or trouble, I must show my Christian love to 
them; if I do not, my love is dead, my heart cold, my 
ears heavy, and my whole person of no worth — above 
all, my soul is lost. 

Sad news came from Armenia and Turkey. About 
60,000 Armenians killed by the Turks — men, women 
and children, all mercilessly slaughtered. Brave- 
hearted men had tried to protect their lives and fam- 
ilies, but the ungodly Turks were armed with guns, 
while the Armenians had nothing with which to de- 
fend themselves. When the leaders of the Moham- 
medan church heard that there was no punishment 
for the Turks, they influenced a low and ignorant 
class of people to kill some of the Christians at Oroo- 
miah. One day a band of armed men in the city of 
Oroomiah approached a young Syrian merchant, 
pulled him from his house, tied a rope around his 
foot, and dragged him from street to street, his head 
striking upon the stones on the pavement, while he 
was bleeding and uttering such cries as should have 
enlisted the sympathy even of the most cruel. Still 
the hard-hearted men pulled the rope till the man 
was killed in the street. The dead body was thrown 
outside the city, where it lay for many days in the 



24 

dirt and water. At last the broken-hearted widow 
and mother buried the body of him whom they loved 
so dearly. Akajan-kan was slain because he con- 
fessed the name of Jesus before his fellow-men the 
Mohammedans. The brave soldier had waited for a 
welcome to rest with his Saviour forever, where there 
are neither tears, nor sorrow, nor pain; but where he 
would receive a golden crown as- his reward, and sing 
unto the Lamb the sweet songs of the inhabitants of 
New Jerusalem. 

Dear reader, if you are not a witness for Jesus, why 
not become one.? Remember Solomon's words: "Life 
is like the span." You live to-day, but may be dead 
to-morrow. You and I must hear the voice of the 
Almighty in the day of judgment. Alas! if we are 
placed on the left hand; then shall we cry for the 
mountains to fall on us, and the earth to open herself 
to swallow us up, that we may not see the face of 
Him who sits upon the throne of glory to judge every 
man according to his acts in the world. There will 
be no hope then, but we shall be thrown into the 
lake of fire and be punished for our wickedness. 
Why not leave our carnal desires and deny ourselves 
while on earth.? We need also to remember that we 
are strangers on earth, and that heaven is our home, 
where we shall see our Lord face to face in His ever- 
lasting kingdom. 

The sudden death of a nobleman gave fear to all 
Christian citizens. Because the priesthood protected 
the murderers, the Mohammedans sought to persecute 
the Christians. Shortly another band of armed men 




Mar-gabriel and his nephew. 



26 

marched to take a young man who had turned from 
Mohammedanism to Christianity. We tried to save 
him, but all in vain. On the last day of his life, he 
stood in a crowd and said: ''I do not believe in Mo- 
hammed, but in Christ Jesus. He is my Saviour, 
therefore I am not afraid of death, nor of all who are 
against me. I shall suffer a few minutes at your 
hands, but shall live with God forever." He was 
taken out and beheaded. 

On a bright summer day twelve ministers and 
bishops of the Nestorian church were returning from 
their visit to Mar-Shamoon, (the spiritual head of 
that church) between the Persian and Turkish fron- 
tiers. Kurds fell upon them and butchered them all, 
and the bodies were left in the mountains for several 
days, no one knowing of the deed. At length, some 
passengers brought word to Oroomiah City, and we 
went to bring them down. It was a dreadful sight 
which we beheld; mothers and wives were unable to 
recognize their sons and husbands. When persecu- 
tions grew fierce and bold, the government put 
soldiers on guard to protect the Christians, as it has 
always done, and put an end to it. 

Severe persecutions against the Christians in Persia 
began as early as the time when the Sassarites 
dynasty ruled over Assyria, A. D. 328. When St. 
Thumon (or St. Thomas, a descendant of St. Thomas 
the apostle), and his few Christian fellow-men were 
brought before the king of the fire-worshipers, be- 
cause they refused to worship the sun and the moon, 
and because they confessed, that God had become in- 



27 

carnate and come to earth. The king was de- 
termined that they should worship the sun, and issued 
an edict, that those who would not worship the sun 
and the moon should be put to death by terrible tor- 
ture. The Christians said: "God is the creator of 
the sun; we cannot substitute the created for the 
creator; and if we refuse to worship the king, how 
can you expect us to worship the sun, a creature with- 
out life. We have one God and Jesus Christ our only 
Saviour as the object of our worship. Our Lord 
teaches us to be faithful to kings and pray for them, 
but we are forbidden to worship any creature." The 
king hearing this, commanded: '* All must be beheaded 
in the morning." They spent the night in a dungeon, 
reminding each other of the apostles who also had 
spent many nights in prison. They said: "Prison is 
heaven, because the presence of our Lord is with us." 
They all partook of the body and blood of their 
Saviour, in holy communion, and said: "To-morrow 
we shall be crowned." The next morning they were 
beheaded. 

These Christians, or the Assyrians, who formed as 
a church already in the time of the apostles, have 
been praised among all the Eastern nations for their 
zeal in spreading the Gospel, ^ but at no time have 
they been free from persecutions. They, like the 
burning bush of old, have been persecuted but not 

^ Their faith as described in the ancient manuscripts is pure 
and evangelical. They believed in the Trinity, God the Father, 
God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. But their doctrine has 
been corrupted by Nestorians. See the chapter on Nestorians. 



28 

consumed. They have passed through the agony of 
death, but with a spirit of submission, they have been 
loyal to Christ. The spirit of martyrdom still lives 
among those people at the present day, and they are 
winning the Mohammedans by their Christian love. 

Amid dreadful fears, I left my home for Europe, to 
prepare myself for my work, which I had promised to 
carry on the rest of my life. On my way through 
Kurdistan and Armenia, I met groups of Armenians 
who had left their homes and families in order to save 
their own lives; they told me of the barbarous treat- 
ment which they had suffered from the Turks and 
Kurds, and spoke of the butchery of human beings 
which they had witnessed in various districts of the 
country. I also saw hungry and naked Nestorians 
leaving their homes for refuge in other countries. 

The following letter was sent to me by a friend 
during the first year of my absence from home: 

'•Within six months from 5,000 to 10,000 Chris- 
tian subjects of Turkey have crossed the border into 
Persia, in the district of Oroomiah, of every age and 
sex. They are naked, penniless and hungry. Each 
day bands of 50, 100, and 300 cross the borders, and 
each band tells of others who will follow. Each day 
brings the winter's cold nearer, and reduces the stock 
of provisions in the hands of their fellow Christians 
here. The suffering is daily becoming more acute. 
The sights that meet our eyes are pitiful in the ex- 
treme. Our doors are thronged with hungry, ragged, 
starving people, whose condition defies description. 
Little children almost naked in the cold wintry air, 



29 

appeal irresistibly to our sympathies. The Christian 
villages are crowded with these refugees begging 
bread. They come from the settlements of the Mar- 
bishu Valley, Gawar, Ishtazin, Jilu Diz, and from the 
regions of the upper Zab. The majority are Arme- 
nians and Nestorians. 

The total Christian population of this region is not 
less than 20,000, two-thirds of whom are practically 
homeless, and the remainder in imminent danger of 
being driven from their villages. Another year like 
the last must entirely depopulate the whole of these 
Christians. 

Kurdish robbery has been allowed a free hand, and 
on the scattered communities there have been constant 
raids, and oppressive taxation, without protection, 
which has ruined the country. Village after village 
has been depopulated. Twenty years ago the Chris- 
tians were famed for their wealth in fields and cattle. 
To-day their head men are beggars. Not a single 
word or act of rebellion, not even an over-zealous 
revolutionary spirit can be urged as an excuse for this 
fearful oppression. 

Cold and famine are now forcing the Christians to 
leave their homes. Many have fled by night, over 
unfrequented roads, to avoid the frontier guards sta- 
tioned there to force them back to certain death by 
starvation. Even their flight has become a source of 
profit to the Turks, who, for a consideration, engage 
to conduct them across the border, and then, on part- 
ing, rob them of everything worth taking, sending 
them on their way naked, cold and hungry. Yet, 



30 

with all this, thousands are escaping, in spite of the 
wild mountain tracks, covered with snow, difficult to 
find and difficult to keep. In spite of the cruelty they 
are subjected to, and the winter cold, with scanty 
food, sleeping; in the sheep-holds or in the open, they 
reach us with, nothing but the few rags that are left 
to them. 

The people have escaped from Turkish rule with 
their lives. The Christians here will share with them 
their own scanty stores of food. They will shelter 
them till sheds and stables will hold no more. The 
Persian government received them without prejudice, 
butdonot aid them. Theycannot be clothed or warmed 
without outside aid. Many must suffer from lack of 
food and shelter. If the number of refugees continues 
to increase — only the setting in of still severer weather 
closing all the roads can prevent this — it is hard to 
see how they can live at all. Some of our villages 
on the plains of Oroomiah have already a refugee pop- 
ulation equal to half or two-thirds of their own num- 
ber. We must have an organized plan of help, and 
cannot afford to wait." 

I saw hundreds of Assyrians coming from Russia to 
their native land Persia. Some had been robbed and 
killed and left in the rocky mountains; others were 
running toward home, having been robbed of their 
belongings, the bread of the anxious wives had been 
taken from their hands, and they were left penniless 
and hungry. All these cruel deeds were done by sel- 
fish Mohammedans, who were unwilling to work, but 
eager to rob widows and orphans of the very bread 
that was given to them by kind friends. 



31 

Wherever it was difficult for us to traverse the hilly 
country, we paid soldiers to guide us over the rough 
parts. At last we found ourselves under the Russian 
government. Then we felt safer. Our dangers had 
passed, although in some parts of Russia we had rea- 
son to fear. Then I left my companions and traveled 
alone. The cities near Persia and Turkey are inhab- 
ited by different nations, and the Mohammedans have 
not the liberty to act as they please, but are punished 
for whatever they do not in keeping with the law. 

As I drew near the central part of Russia, I came 
to the large towns of Kiev, Moscow, etc., where 
the inhabitants are mainly Russians, The men are 
of a light complexion and strong; although in some 
parts of the country the climate seems not to agree 
with them. The women are stronger, consequently 
they have the hard work to do. The law requires 
that strangers shall have a passport, and with this 
they can go through the country. The passport gives 
a description of the man, who he is, what his business 
is, etc., and if he does not possess one, he is liable to 
be cast into prison as soon as detected. 

I visited many places in that country and learned a 
little of the people. I did not associate very much 
with the natives, as I could not speak their language 
sufficiently well. Before leaving the country I was 
robbed of nearly all my money and my clothes. 

I paid my friends at Hamburg a short visit. Dur- 
ing my brief stay in Germany I learned a little of the 
language and became somewhat acquainted with the 
customs of the people; I then departed for London. 



32 

The English language seemed to me as Arabic 
would to an Englishman, but my Heavenly Father, 
who took me from Persia to England, aided me in 
learning the language. I remained in England for 
about three years, and had the pleasure of seeing the 
sights of Great Britain, and formed the acquaintance 
of a great many English gentlemen. 

In all my lonely life, the object of my travels has 
been to grow in the knowledge of the Scriptures. I 
have pressed my Bible to my breast, praying to God 
to give me His aid and strength to carry the glad 
tidings of His salvation to those millions over there. 

THOSE MILLIONS OVER THERE. 

They wait, those millions over there ; 
Our hope in Christ they do not share ; 

They wait for us to come. 
Their time of waiting seems so long 
For those who wait without a song 

To bless their cheerless home. 

They weep, those millions over there ; 
Our joy in Christ they do not share; 

They weep in nameless grief. 
Shall we not wipe their tears away? 
Shall we not turn their night to day? 

Shall we not bring relief? 

They die, those millions over there ; 
Our life in Christ they do not share; 

They die in sin and shame. 
While Christ hath died to save them all, 
And yearns to save whoe'er may call 

On His sweet, blessed name. ' 



33 



Those dear millions over there 
Heav'n's richest gifts might fully share ; 

Glad trophies they might win, 
Could they but see the Saviour's face ; 
Could they but share our Saviour's grace, 

They'd triumph over sin. 

But those sad millions over there 
Our hope in Christ they do not sh^re ; 

But be forever lost. 
Should we withhold the precious word — 
Of Him whose message glad we've heard, 

Who saves at priceless cost? 

Then help those millions over there 
The bread of heaven, sweet, to share ; 

God's sweetest message give — 
That sin's sad end is not the grave ; 
That Jesus died our souls to save ; 

He died that we might live. 



CHAPTER II. 
SCHOOL AND PRINTING, 



The most successful way to spread the Gospel 
among the Mohammedans is to open schools and 
educate their children. It requires diligent and faith- 
ful labor to bring unto the knowledge of Christ those 
who have grown old in the faith of Mohammedanism, 
but missionary work among the young carries in it 
far more of the hope of a prosperous future. 

The boys and girls who attend our school are quite 
anxious to become acquainted with the script on 
Christian doctrine. We give them small books or 
manuscripts on the life of Jesus and of the apostles, 
or we read and explain to them from the Gospel. In 
general this aids them materially in acquiring a 
knowledge of Christ and His oflfice, and while we as a 
rule are not in possession of books suited to the 
limited understanding of these children^ we do our 
utmost to give them correct explanations of the 
Scriptures themselves, mainly on the life of our Lord 
Jesus Christ and of His love to sinners. We tell them 
of His love to the little children, and teach them to 
believe in and love Him in order to be blessed and 
saved. At such times I experienced the power of the 
Gospel of Christ's love, in winning the hearts of the 
Httleones. With earnestness they promised: "Wewill 

[34] 



35 

love our Saviour above all, and give Him our hearts 
to enter at any time." 

In my Christian experience there has not been any- 
thing more touching to my heart than the prayers of 
little ones, especially when I heard a little fellow say: 
"I have no father or mother; but Jesus is my all." 
Oh! dear reader, ponder these words of an orphan 
and train your little ones while you are with them, 
lest the time come when it is too late, and the sorrow 
of your heart be great. 

My work among the young people tends not only 
to give them the eternal joy and a pure life; it also 
brings me nearer to God, and gives me the privilege 
to dwell on His Word in my daily life. Therefore, I 
have vowed to spend all my life in showing the way 
of God's salvation unto young Mohammedans from 
the Scriptures. 

Mohammedans have schools for boys only. They 
receive scarcely any education beyond the reading of 
the Koran and the stories of Imams, or the leaders 
of their nation. During their study all will read in a 
singing way, going to and fro. They believe that by 
hearing themselves read they will understand it more 
readily and be able to memorize more rapidly. 

As a rule the people possess very little education, 
and most of them cannot read or write. Those who 
wish to become priests and judges must be well edu- 
cated, at least in the details of their own religion. 
The educational world has four degrees among the 
Moslems, partly of education, partly of claims. The 
first and highest degree is that of Shiites, or the de- 



36 

scendants of the Prophet. They keep their record 
from one generation to the next, which is handed 
from father to son, and this record must be at least 
one hundred years old, otherwise the claim is lost. I 
knew of one Shiite at Oroomiah, who had lost his 
family record; he went and drowned himself in 
despair. 

The chief of this tribe is the representative of 
Mohammed. His position among the Mohammedans 
is like unto that of the pope in the Roman Catholic 
church. He resides at the holy city of Karbala, in 
the most holy mosque that was built on the the tombs 
of Hassan and Hossen, the sons of Ali, the martyrs 
of Islam, who were killed by Sunnites during the 
war of Karbala. It is said, he lives a simple life, 
but taxes people heavily for his cause, and for the 
students which he has under his control, preparing for 
the priesthood of Islam. 

The second degree is that of Mushtaids, or Na- 
hoomds. These are higher than common priests or 
the third degree. The fourth is that of Dermeshes. 
The first two classes are executors of civil and re- 
ligious law; their chiefs live from the tithes of the 
poor and the presents of the rich. They increase 
their riches from the savings of the poor; and the 
poor sink into utter poverty. Vast sums of money 
are entrusted to their care. Large fees are made by 
writing legal documents in the transfer of land or 
other valuable property; and yet the people consider 
it a privilege to give them as presents, their money, and 



37 

their sick daughters, in order that these may be re- 
stored to health by marrying one of the "holy" 
Shiites. 

The moUahs are considered a humble class of peo- 
ple, yet they are insincere, treacherous and cruel. 
They visit the sick, teach the prayers and conduct 
funerals. Some of them instruct boys during the 
day. When a mother takes her boy to school, she 
says to the mollah: *'His flesh is yours, the bones are 
mine;" it means, 'do with him as you like, and punish 
him as often as you wish.' The cruel mollah will not 
be satisfied with the switch only, but will pour the 
poison of his swearing tongue on the poor boys; 
naturally, the boys use the same language toward one 
another. The mollah punishes the boys for trifling 
matters, but not for cursing; naturally, his pupils be- 
come as a horse without a bridle, and remain grossly 
ignorant. When these poor little children hear that 
in our Christian schools the rod is not used, nor the 
pupils treated otherwise than kindly, they pick up 
courage and come to the Christian schools. 
We instruct them in the Word of God, teach 
them the story of the Cross, and read to them 
the Bible, the blessed book which brings us into 
the fellowship with God and His only Son, our 
Saviour Jesus Christ; and we point out to them the 
blessed truth that Jesus wanted also little children to 
come unto Him: "Suffer the little children tocomeunto 
me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of 
God." We teach them to love one another, even as 
Jesus manifested His love to little children by taking 



38 

them into His arms and blessing them. We teach 
them to love the Master and keep His command- 
ments. 

Among the Moslems the female sex is strictly pre- 
vented from receiving any education or attending any 
schools. Very seldom prominent men will procure 
special tutors for their daughters. The teacher gen- 
erally is a mollah and very old, or perhaps nearly 
blind. He is admitted to the ladies' department and 
takes a seat at one end of the double parlor, while his 
pupil sits at the other end behind a curtain; an elderly 
woman also will be present while the teacher reads 
and explains parts of the Koran to the little 'girl. 

I teach both sexes; male and female must attend 
school indiscriminately. At first even Christians re- 
fused to do so, saying: *'Our daughters will not be 
ministers and teachers, of what benefit, therefore, is 
an education to them.-*" At the same time they ask: 
"How much money will we receive from you for send- 
ing our girls to school.?" I am glad to say the Gospel 
has opened their eyes; and now they come, not for 
the sake of bread and fish, but to learn about the 
Savior and His love for sinners. 

The results of my mission school have awakened the 
hearts of many; like Hannah, many mothers have 
said: "Take this child of mine for the Lord." — Be- 
loved in the Lord, will you not take part in this 
blessed work of bringing these little children into the 
church of God.? It costs but fifteen dollars a year to 
educate and Christianize one of these poor boys. The 
result will be, every one of them will be a minister of the 




ABSALOM D. SHABAZ. 

IN PERSIAN HIGH CLASS COSTUME. 



40 

Gospel among his Mohammedan countrymen. On 
various occasions I have heard Christians say: **I wish 
I could go and preach the Gospel in the heathen 
lands." By enabling one of these boys to attend a 
Christian school, you will fulfill the very wish, and 
the commandment of Christ: "Go ye and preach 
the Gospel to all nations." 

A supply of Christian literature in the Persian lan- 
guage is a great need. Nearly all our books are man- 
uscripts, and are written in the ancient dialect; it 
becomes next to impossible for us to teach new begin- 
ners with such difficult books; therefore, a printing press 
will be of great value to us in our work. It will enable 
me to translate and print our own books in the modern 
language. I have learned the printing trade in this 
country in order to be well fitted for my work. 

An organ will be wonderfully helpful in drawing 
them nearer us. Their attention will be attracted by 
our "noisy box," as they call it; and the Gospel will 
be preached unto them. I try my utmost to bring 
them to me to hear the Word of God, and ask Him 
to touch their hearts with the power of the Holy 
Spirit. Indeed, Persia is open for the Gospel of peace; 
the kingdom of our Lord has come; we must not sleep 
at the time of harvest, but work. 

Our greatest need is a building for the school and 
for our worship. Such a building will be a place of 
refuge in time of persecutions, ^ and can also be used 

^I must state to the reader that we are not persecuted by the 
government, but by the priests. Whenever the government 
becomes aware of such action, soldiers are sent for protection ; 
but for the time being we need a place of refuge. These attacks 
do not occur often. 



41 

for the purpose of a school and for printing. The 
buildings in which I had established my schools in 
different parts of the country were very inconvenient 
for sixty or more boys and sfirls. I trust that kind 
parents and earnest young people will think of Persia's 
boys and girls, who sadly are in need of Christian 
training. Remember the words found in St. Luke 
6: 38: "Give and it shall be given unto you; good 
measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and 
running over, shall men give into your bosom. For 
with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall 
be measured to you again." 

Gifts for the erection of the building, or towards 
purchasing an organ, a printing press, or for the ben- 
efit of the mission work among the Mohammedans, 
may be sent to any of the professors at Luther Sem- 
inary, Hamline, St. Paul, Minn., or if it please the 
giver, directly to Absalom D. Shabaz, same address 
as above. 




-tf*^ 



AGHA-MOHAMMED-KHAN, 

THE FOUNDER OF THE PRESENT 
DYNASTY. 



FETH-ALLE-SHAH, 

ONE OF THE PERSIAN KINGS. 



CHAPTER III. 
MODERN PERSIA, 



According to the learned Persian scholars the his- 
tory of Persia began some thousand years before the 
Christian era, and some of them hold that as early as 
the time of Abraham there was an organized govern- 
ment. The first king and the founder of the Persian 
nation was Kaiomurs; he also bore the title of Gil- 
shah, or king of the world. From that time to the 
present, dynasty has succeeded dynasty. The founder 
of the present dynasty was Agha-Mohammed-Khan 
"Kajar," who attacked Lutf-Ali and defeated him in 
1795. He then established his throne in the southern 
part of the Mazandaran. The list of kings who have 
reigned over Persia as regular kings, gives a total 
of 256. 

We learn both from the Old Testament and from 
history, that no country has a more interesting history 
than Persia; and to judge from these we can not avoid 
the conclusion that no nation now existing has such a 
continuous vitality as the old land of Cyrus and 
Xerxes. Persia was like unto a beautiful garden, in- 
toxicating people with the odors of its roses, noted 
for its beautiful streams; it has brought forth mighty 
kings and learned men; but to-day its glory has flown 
away, its splendor has faded, it has lost its mighty 

[43] 



44 

and noble ones, it has fallen under the influence of the 
Arabian Anti-Christ. 

The national emblem of the empire is the lion and 
the sun, which accounts for the fact that it is occa- 
sionally called the land of the lion and the sun. Persia 
is divided into thirteen states, they are: Ghilon, Ma- 
zandaran, Ostorobad, Aderbajan, Kurdistan, Luris- 
tan, Irakestan, Faristan, Loristan, Khuzistan, Ker- 
man, Mogistom, Khorason. It extends nine hundred 
miles east and west, seven hundred miles north and 
south, has an area of 648,000 square miles. Its pres- 
ent boundaries are: Afghanistan on the east; Turkish 
Empire on the west; the Caspian sea on the north; 
the Persian gulf on the south. The population of 
Persia is about 12,000,000, composed of representa- 
tives of various nations. Each speaks its own lan- 
guage and wears its own national costume, but all 
learned and commercial men of these nations must 
speak the Persian language, it being the universal 
language of the country. There are about 700,000 
Kurds, 25,000 devil-worshipers, 15,000 fire-worship- 
ers, 75,000 Nestorians, 30,000 Jews, 75,000 Arme- 
nians, and the remainder are Mohammedans. 

The largest and most important commercial city is 
Tabrez, which has about 200,000 inhabitants. 

Teheran is the capital of Persia; it was made the 
seat of government by Shah Mohammed-Khan, the 
founder of the present dynasty of the "Kajars." It 
is called ''City of the shadow of God, the footstool of 
the 'King of Kings.' " Teheran bears resemblance to a 
European city more than any other Persian cities, and 
is more influenced by western ideas. 



45 

The royal palace in Teheran is surrounded by a 
high stone wall. The grounds are entered through 
four beautiful gates. The king's own gate is called 
the gate of diamonds (in Persian, Dar Almas). The 
sides of the walls and the gates are adorned with the 
likenesses of former kings and brave generals, and 
decorative carvings of lions, the standard of Persia, 
and of birds. The grounds are beautifully laid out. 
All the roads lead to the king's palace in the center, 
and are ornamented with trees and hedges of roses of 
various hues. Numerous officers of superior rank 
guard the entrances to the gates and the roadways 
that lead to the palace doors; those nearest the palace 
stand with drawn swords. Whenever the king sits in 
judgment he uses the peacock's throne, and is sur- 
rounded by his six cabinet officers, who are advisers, 
but he may overrule the advice of the cabinet at any 
time. When the Shah tires of the routine of govern- 
ment duties, his secretary reads to him from a poeti- 
cal history of the Persian kings; when the king retires 
to his private apartment, the entrance to the room is 
guarded by two most trusted officers with drawn 
swords — one on each side of the door. During my 
stay in Teheran I became well acquainted with one of 
these officers, who was a colored slave. 

The former Shah of Persia visited Europe several 
times, and is the founder of a good postal-telegraph 
system. Above all, he founded a beautiful college in 
Teheran, which is called the "Place of Science," and is 
the first one of its kind. He also tried to introduce the 
railroad system, but the state priesthood refused, saying, 



46 . 

our country is weak; if Christians shall carry on such 
work in our land, the next step will be to take our 
country out of our hands. They also said, if there is 
a railroad in our country, we cannot beat our wives; 
if we did, they would take the train and go to Europe, 
while they cannot do it how. 

Persia may be said to possess three climates: that 
of southern Dashtiston; of the elevated plateau; and 
of the Caspian provinces. Cyrus said of it: "The peo- 
ple perish with the cold in one extremity, while they 
are suffocated by the heat in the other." Heavy 
rains are frequent and many of the districts are marshy 
and unhealthy. With the exception of the Caspian 
and northwest provinces the atmosphere of Persia is 
remarkable for its dryness and purity. 

The cultivated portions of Persia abound in the 
rarest and most beautiful vegetable and fruit produc- 
tions. Wheat of the very best quality is raised in 
abundance, also other products, such as barley, cot- 
ton, sugar, opium, tea, coffee, tobacco, etc., etc. 
The vine flourishes in many of the provinces; the 
vines of Sheraz are celebrated. The mulberry tree 
is largely cultivated, silk being one of the most im- 
portant staples of the country. The chief manufac- 
turing is that of silk stuffs of the richest kind, and 
the finest perfumes are made from the countless varie- 
ties of roses with which the land is carpeted. 

The greater part of the population of Persia 
belongs to the Shiites tribe, which is scattered 
throughout the land. Because there are not very 
many who are able to work among these people, I 



47 

have promised my life in behalf of that race. My 
heart is drawn to that nation. Not to their beautiful 
country and the cheerful breezes of the perfumed 
winds, not to the flowery hills and fruitful mountains, 
which give the most beauty to nature and health to 
the sick, not to the gait lakes and rocky districts which 
remind weak humanity of the Creator, nor even to 
their bright summers with the blue sky illumined by 
milliards of twinkling stars at night, offering the 
finest opportunity for astronomical observations; nor 
to their ancient towers and palaces that recall the his- 
tory of centuries during which great battles have 
been fought and nations divided. My heart sympa- 
thizes with these people, because they are ignorant of 
the Gospel and of the only Saviour. And I know the 
way of salvation, therefore I am in duty bound to 
guide them to a place where they may hear the invi- 
tation of the Spirit, and the bride saying, ''Come! and 
let him that heareth say, come, and let him that is 
athirst come; and whosoever will, let him take the 
water of life freely." We read: "I Jesus have sent 
mine angel to testify unto you these things in the 
churches; I am the root and the offspring of David 
and the bright morning star." "I am the way, the 
Truth and the Life;" Yes, indeed, He is the door, 
the shepherd, and the only Redeemer: "The lamb of 
God who takes away the sin of the world." If we 
hear His message in private, we must proclaim it on 
the tops of the houses, and in the whole world. 



CHAPTER IV. 
MOHAMMED AND MOHAMMEDANISM, 



Abdulah and Halima were the parents of the great 
prophet of the East, who conquered the wild 
Arabs. He was born about the year A. D. 750, at 
Mecca, in Arabia. The Mohammedan doctrine, con- 
cerning God, coincides with the Christian, in so far as 
He is by both taught to be the Creator of all things 
in Heaven and earth, who rules and preserves all 
things, — without beginning, omnipotent, omniscient, 
omnipresent, and full of mercy. Yet, according to 
the Mohammedan belief, there is no Son of God, nor 
is Jesus regarded as anything else than a prophet and 
apostle, although His birth is held to have been due 
to a miracle; and, as the Koran superceded the 
Gospel, so Mohammed superceded Christ. 

Mohammedans believe that the Bible was given by 
inspiration, but that it has suffered so many corrup- 
tions, that the copies in the hands of Jews and Chris- 
tians are of very little credit, and that the Koran is the 
only safe guide. They believe that the original copy 
of it has been from eternity inscribed on a vast tablet 
in God's throne, and that Gabriel was sent to the low- 
est heaven with a copy of it on paper, which was 
transferred to Mohammed, and by him given to the 

faithful. 

[48] 



49 

Mohammedanism in Persia has existed under two 
forms, viz.: the Sunna, or orthodox system, and, since 
1492, the Shia, or heterodox system. According to 
the former, Abu Bekr, Omar and Othman are regarded 
the legitimate vicars of the prophet; while those who 
hold the latter, claim for Ali, the son-in-law and cousin 
of Mohammed, the right to be honored as' his heir and 
successor. The first named sect, moreover, regard a 
large collection of traditions as of equal authority 
with the Koran; while the other reject such traditions 
and accept the Koran as their sole guide. The result 
is, that much animosity is cherished between both 
Turks and Persians, and that the Persians are more 
accessible to the Christians than their rival co-religion- 
ists. It is almost an unheard-of thing for an 
Arab or a Turk to discuss his religion with a Chris- 
tian; but the Persians invite it, and enjoy it, and will 
listen patiently to all we can allege with reason 
against their religion, or on behalf of our own, when- 
ever they feel themselves safe. The fact, that Mo- 
hammedanism in Persia was received under compul- 
sion, and that the people have never taken kindly to 
it, has given rise to new sects. The most important 
one during the last thirty years is the Baab, which 
has been joined by immense numbers, who profess a 
mystical faith, which antedates the introduction of 
Islamism. The Baabys believe in the incarnation and 
divinity of Christ, and do not allow "polygamy." 
They are, however, strongly imbued with pantheistic 
ideas. Mirza Mohammed Ali was the founder of this 
new religion in Persia. He first came to public notice 



50 

in the year 1843, and began the plans of his new re- 
ligion at the age of 18, but did not reveal it until 
eight years later. When he had made several pil- 
grimages to Karbala, Mecca, and Medina, he returned 
to his native town Shiraz. At first he began to teach 
his doctrine to his confidential friends, until it was im- 
pressed upon their minds and hearts, then he preached 
to the public of his being the "Mahdi," the unseen 
*'Imam," or the prophet to whom the Mohammedans 
look forward to appear in the last days. Mirza Mo- 
hammed Ali, or, inother words, ''Mehdeialzaman,"the 
director of the times, claimed that both Christ and 
Mohammed had prophecied the coming of the last 
Imam, "Mahdi" (the director), that he would be the 
ruler of the Mohammedans, and that Islam would be 
the universal religion. Mirza Mohammed Ali said he 
was the expected prophet, and that he was inspired 
and had frequent communications with God in which 
he was told how to direct his people. He said his 
divine revelation was the latest, but not the last 
manifestation of the deity in human form. He, how- 
ever, was examined and killed by the Persians as a 
falsifier. The latest manifestation of the deity in 
human form, according to their belief, is Abbas- 
Effendi at Acca in Turkey, not very far from Persia, 
who is recognized as the Son of God. He claims to 
have 50,000,000 followers, 10,000 of whom are in the 
United States, converts from the American churches. 
Mohammedanism is primarily a historical religion, 
based upon the fundamental idea of the absolute unity 
of God and the recognition by God of Mohammed 




ABBAS EFFENDI. 



52 

as his latest and most approved prophet. Without 
entering- into the question of the sanity or insanity of 
Mohammed himself, it is sufficient to say that this 
Arab imbibed, with his earliest teachings, the doc- 
trine which was held by the Jews and a few in Arabia, 
of the power of the deity. Apparently the teachings 
of the Hebrews had left their trace upon him, and his 
mind; dwelling upon the precepts of Moses and com- 
paring them with what he saw of the Christians, de- 
veloped within him a hostility to any form of, what 
seemed to him, idolatry, such as he found existent 
everywhere. 

Among the pagan tribes there was said to have 
been 365 images of the gods, who were looked upon 
as the children of Allah, the creator of all, whose 
wife was Al-hat, and the Meccans looked upon their 
local deities as the daughters of this idol. Idols were 
found in every house, and formed an important arti- 
cle of manufacture. Religion was a sort of barter, 
and festivals and pilgrimages made up a large part of 
the religious life and worship. "At the same time 
the form of Christianity was of the most inferior type. 
The doctrine of the trinity was practically a sort of 
tritheism, in which the three persons were God the 
Father, God the Son, and the virgin Mary. To 
Mohammed there seemed little difference between 
the two, and both appeared to him the very lowest 
forms of religious faith, and he was stirred with a de- 
sire to know more. This, according to the idea of 
the time, he thought to accomplish by a hermit life, 
and would spend days in a lonely cave." While here, 



53 

it is probable that epileptic fits would come upon 
him, which he considered to be revelations from God, 
and the Arabs reverenced him for what he taught. 

Mohammedans believe in the resurrection of the 
dead, both soul and body, and that at the judgment 
mankind will be divided into three classes: First, 
those who creep, groveling with their faces to the 
ground; second, those who walk; third, those whc 
ride, for whom white-winged camels will be in readi- 
ness. God has promised to true believers, men and 
women, gardens through which rivers flow, to dwell 
therein forever, and goodly places in the garden of 
Eden, into which they shall enter with the righteous, 
amongst their fathers and their wives and their seed. 

Every Mohammedan is required to utter five prayers 
a day, first washing and turning his face toward 
Mecca. They believe prayer will carry them half 
way to heaven, fasting to the gates of heaven, and 
alms will permit them to enter. In Persia one will 
see the devotees of this religion uttering their prayers 
while upon their knees, their faces toward Kaba, and 
at short intervals, they bend their faces to the earth. 
As the Pharisees of old they are seen in all directions, 
on the street, in the field, and in all conspicuous 
places, uttering their daily prayers. 

The fasting is held to be of the utmost importance. 
During one whole month — the month in which they 
believe the Koran was sent from heaven, they are 
required to fast from sunrise to sunset, and eat 
during the night. 




MOHAMMEDAN VILLAGERS. 



55 . 

The Ramazan (fasting month) begins with the new 
moon, and the era of Mohammedanism began at the 
time of the fleeing of Mohammed from Mecca to 
Medina which is called Hegira, 622 A. D. Whenever 
the moon is obscured by clouds, men are appointed 
throughout the empire to watch for it carefully, some- 
times from the peaks of the mountains. The fasting 
must be kept by all the Mohammedans, except the 
rich, children under seven years of age, and the travel- 
ers on a journey, of more than three days' duration. 
The pilgrimage to Mecca Mohammed declared to be 
of such consequence, that he who fails to perform it 
may as well die a Jew or a Christian. Mohammedans 
have another belief, namely, that Mohammed will sit 
astride on the eastern slope of Mount Moria near the 
valley of Jehoshaphat, on the last great day. A line 
finer than a hair and sharper than a razor, will reach 
from it to the tower on the Mount of Olives, stretch- 
ing over this dreadful valley of the dead. ^ In that 
day all who have ever lived and have risen to judg- 
ment, must walk this razor-line bridge. The faithful 
(Moslems) will cross in safety, the unfaithful will fall 



1 The Mohammedans say of this bridge that it is composed of 
seven bridges. One-third of it is an ascent, one-third is even, 
and one -third is a descent. He alone who passes all these bridges 
with success can be admitted into Paradise. The unbelievers fall 
into hell from the first bridge ; the prayer less, from the second ; 
the uncharitable from the third; whoever has eaten during 
Ramazan (the fasting), from the fourth; whoever has neglected 
the pilgrimage, from the fifth ; whoever has not commended the 
good, from the sixth ; and wlioever has not prevented evil, from 
the seventh. 



56 

into hell; that is into * 'Gehenna," the accursed gulf 
below, "thickly sown with departed Jews." It is with 
this perilous passage in view, that the Moslem every 
day^ during the ablution of his feet, prays, 'Oh make 
my feet not to slip on that day when feet shall slip. 
The Mohammedans have no preaching services to 
teach man's duty to God, or to his fellow-men, or to 
strengthen his character and make him a purer and 
nobler man. The only teaching is the tragic tales of 
their martyrs, the only inspiration is the hatred of 
enemies. A mollah will ascend to the roof of a mosque 

and call: 

Allah, hu Akbar 

La illah illali Allah 

Sidnah Mohammed Rasoul Allah 

Hayah Allah II Fallah 

Hyah Alia Salah 

meaning : 

God is great 

There is but one God 
Our Lord Mohammed is His apostle (or prophet) 

Come to the prayer 

Come to the prayer. 

On hearing this call, every one o£ them will rush 
to the mosque and utter his prayer. 

Every Friday noon (Friday being their Sabbath) a 
mollah (or priest) will preach on "giving alms." Once 
a mollah was preaching: "O true believers, open 
your purses and your doors, every one of you, feed 
the hungry, and give liberally to the poor and needy 
— refuse not your alms to the Moslems. O Muselman 
people, each of you who possesses two garments 
ought, for the love of Allah, to give one of them to 



57 



the poor; each of you who 
has two loaves ought, if 
he would walk in the path 
of God, to give one to the 
poor." 

The wife of the mollah 
happened to be passing 
the mosque at the same 
moment, and hearing the 
words of her husband, she 
turned back and went 
home. The mollah had 
two changes of garments, 
the one which was in the 
wash, and the other which 
he wore. His wife gave 
to the poor the one in re- 
serve, and at the same 
time distributed to them 
half the provision of bread. 
When the mollah came 
home in the evening, he 
said to his wife: "My 
clothes are soiled, bring 
me the others, that I may 
change." 

"But I gave away to- 
day your spare suit," replied his wife, "and distributed 
to the poor half the bread we had in the house." 

Then the mollah was very angry, and said to his 
wife: "Why did you give away my clothes and 
my bread.'*" 




MOHAMMEDAN LADY. 

OUTDOOR COSTUME. 



58 

''Because to-day, when you were preaching in the 
mosque, you exhorted all to divide their superfluous 
goods with the poor in order to walk in the path of 
God, so what we were not using I gave to the beg- 
gars. " 

At these words the mollah waxed very wroth and 
exclaimed: "Woman, my exhortations were for the 
congregation and not for myself. If I preach thus to 
the people, it is that they may give me the surplus of 
their clothes and their bread. You should not think 
of giving away my spare clothes and my children's 
bread. I preach to men in my own interest, and you 
— you carry out, at my expense, the counsel! give 
them." 

It is said that the same mollah and two uneducated 
persons were traveling together, when they came to 
a river. All undressed to swim across, the mollah 
going first. Soon as they were in the water, the mol- 
lah perceived four small jars, filled with butter, float- 
ing at a little distance. He reached the first and held 
it with his teeth, stretched out his right hand, seized 
another, and caught the third in his left. There re- 
mained but one, which was taken by his companions. 
But not content with three-fourths of the spoil, he 
called out to the others: ''I swear by Allah that I will 
have my share in that jar too." 

Sin is merely transgression of statute; falsehood, 
deception, robbery, murder, have no immoral qual- 
ity whatever. They are entirely legitimate when 
used for the furtherance of the Moslem state and even 
for the individual advantage. 



59 

Those who have studied the character of Moham- 
med, know that there can be no doubt of his sincerity 
and conduct, at the start. He believed himself to be 
divinely appointed a messenger for the overthrowing 
of idolatry, and for some time he endured the hostil- 
ity and taunts of his people apparently with no further 
motive than their reformation. But later, cruelty, 
and all kinds of sin were not merely allowed but en- 
couraged by him against all who did not believe in 
his doctrines. 

Their belief in the unity of God has degenerated 
into pure and simple fanaticism; predestination to 
good has disappeared, and in place of it comes pre- 
destination to evil. The better characteristics of the 
Moslem influence have disappeared, and it is only the 
worst elements that come to the surface to-day, and 
during all these thirteen hundred years, Mohammed- 
anism in Persia has brought nothing to the people, 
except curse. 

The Koran is a volume divided into 114 chapters 
or Suras, made up in a volume not quite so large as 
our New Testament. It consists of the revelation 
proclaimed by Mohammed as received during the lat- 
ter part of his life, at Mecca. It was originally writ- 
ten on all sorts of material, and was gathered together 
after his death in the caliphate of Othman. It is 
written in the Meccan dialect and held to be the 
standard of the Arabic language. The fundamental 
teachings are the unity of God, the final judgment 
and absolute submission to his will [Islam]. The 
confession of faith is simply: "There is no God but 



6o 

God, and Mohammed is his prophet." The general 
belief includes belief in God, angels, the resurrection, 
day of judgment, and God's absolute decree and pre- 
destination to both good and evil. In practice it re- 
quires prayers, alms, fasting, and pilgrimage to Mecca. 

The weakness of Mohammedanism in Persia gives 
good opportunities for a Christian minister to preach 
the Word of God to the distressed souls within the 
limits of that country. 

I beg all the lovers of our only Saviour, Jesus Christ, 
to unite in Christian love and send the Gospel to 203, 
652,422 souls which are mislead by the enemy of the 
cross, Mohammed, 12^000,000 of whom are in my 
native land, Persia. Watch and pray for the lost 
sheep. 

Two great divisions of the Moslem world are, Sun- 
nites and Shiites. The former follow the first three 
caliphs after Mohammed, Abu Bekr, Omar, and 
Othman, as representatives of the orthodox system. 
Shiites represent the heterodox system. 

Mohammed said the children of Israel were divided 
into 72 sects, but that his people would be divided 
into 73. The Mohammedans, however, say that they 
have 150 sects in Islam. 

The great difference between these two divisions 
as already stated, is, that Sunnites regard a large col- 
lection of traditions as of equal authority with the 
Koran! but the Shiites reject all the traditions and 
accept the Koran as their sole guide; therefore, from 
the time of Omar until to-day, much animosity is 
cherished among both Turks and Persians. From 



6i 

the olden time to the present, relip^ious wars have been 
the chief cause of bloodshed on both sides. Shiites 
of Persia mourn every year an entire month for the 
chiefs that were slain at the hands of Omar, and 
this month of mourning is called the "Katl" or the 
killed ones. 

When Mohammed was dying, he announced, 
against his will, that Abu Bekr would be his right- 
ful successor after his death, because he possessed 
a stronger army "than other Imams, and thus Mo- 
hammed thought that his teachings would be carried 
on more forcibly in the hands of Abu Bekr. But his 
real desire was, that Ali should be his successor. 
Nevertheless, after the death of the prophet, large 
bodies'of Moslems followed both successors. 

The Katl is not based on the death of Imams only, 
but is originally based on the promises of Mohammed 
to the true believers in the world to come — with its 
beautiful gardens, vineyards, green pastures, fresh 
fountains, the river of living water, many bathing 
pools of glass, a palace of marble and glass, orna- 
mented with pearls and diamonds. The trees bear 
fruit continually, some in blossom others laden 
with fruit. Choice fruits grow in abundance and on 
low trees — so that a man can stand on the ground 
and eat of the fruit. Each vine bears 7,000 clusters 
of grapes, and every grape contains 7,000 gallons of 
juice. Believers will spend eternity in the joys of a 
luxurious life in Paradise, amidst blooming gardens 
and beautiful virgins. An ordinary believer will 
have 72 ''houries," fair, with rosy cheeks, black eyes, 



62 

in blooming youth. Such beauty the men have not 
seen on earth. Martyrs will have more than 72 
houries, sitting under the fragrant tree in a golden 
chair, while birds are singing wonderfully sweet. 
His fairies will be around him with the unfermented 
wine in a golden cup, etc. 

But all non-believers will be cast into the great 
lake of fire for everlasting punishment. Only those 
who know the creed of Islam will be saved. Fatima 
the daughter of the prophet is standing at the gates 
of heaven to blow with her breath all the Christians 
and Jews — from the razor bridge into hell. ^ 

Shiites and Sunnites look forward to the blessings 
mentioned above, which they believe they will in- 
herit, and differ in their belief, therefore they fight, 
mourn, and wear black for their Imams that were 
killed at the hands of their enemies"; and yet, they 
both are considered Mohammedans. 



^ According to the Mohamniedan belief hell consists of seven 
floors, one below the other. The uppermost is for hypocrites, 
the second for Jews, the third for Christians, the fourth for the 
Magi, the fifth for those who call the prophets liars, the sixth 
for idolaters, and the seventh for sinners from the people of the 
prophet Mohammed. The outer part of hell is of copper, and 
the inner part of lead. Its floor is punishment, and the wrath 
of the Almighty its ceiling. The walls are of fire, not clear and 
luminous, but black fire, and diffusing a close, disgusting stench, 
being fed with men and idols. There is every variety of scor- 
pions and other venomous reptiles, and vast flames of fire, mon- 
strous caldrons of boifing water, trees with prickly fruits, rivers 
of blood and putrefaction, red hot chains, garments of pitch, 
and many other objects prepared for the torture of the sinners. 
The hell is guarded by Malik (the angel of death.) 



63 

Abu Bekr was a man of battle; his wild appearance 
and "red eyes" were sufficient to give fear to the 
young soldiers of Shia, who believed Ali possessed 
divine power; and some hold him to be even greater 
than Mohammed, and they say that the last Imam is 
still alive and will appear as the Mahdi (director), 
after which the judgment day will follow. Abu Bekr 
eagerly watched to shed the blood of these chiefs, 
only to show his strength; otherwise he disregarded 
religion, and he knew Shiites were few. 

Omar, the second caliph of the Sunnites, was 
born A. D. 581. He was an ardent persecutor of 
Mohammed and his followers. Originally an enemy of 
the prophet, he set out for Medina to murder him, 
but, chancing to read what is now the twentieth 
chapter of the Koran, he became a zealous supporter 
of the Moslem faith. 

When Mohammed died A. D. 632, Omar re- 
signed his claim to the supreme rule in behalf of an- 
other, but in the year 634 he came to the head as 
caliph. In the year 644 he was assassinated in the 
mosque of Medina by a Persian slaye from motives of 
revenge. His mosque in Jerusalem is considered by 
the Sunnites as the most holy of their churches, ex- 
cept the one at Mecca. 

The tribes of Shia were living under their tents, in 
the fields of Karbala, to avenge the marriage of 
Kasem to Sacna. Both parties were from the noble 
families of the prophet, and letters of invitation were 
sent to all members of their tribe. At the beginning 
of the wedding the streams of water were tu rned in 



64 

opposite directions from the hilly parts of the coun- 
try, where the tribe of Sunna had settled for the sum- 
mer. These tribes were such enemies that they 
would not even look at one another if they met while 
crossing a river, or in passing a narrow turn in the 
mountains. 

A band of armed men marched for water, and they 
met their enemy face to face between two hills, and 
that meant battle. According to the tradition, the 
blood of men raised to cover the horses' hoofs. Dis- 
tressed, a few of the Shiites returned, in agony of 
death. Their women and children were to be the 
victims of the enemy, and such was the beginning of 
the Katl. 

At that time nearly all the district of Karbala was 
under the supervision of Sunnites. Shiites had but 
few armed men, unable to protect their lives and fam- 
ilies, even if they fled to the heart of the mountain. 
The following are the names of a few who suffered 
and died from among the number of the Shiites: 

Hossen, the oldest chief, called Abraham Kalel 
Alia, the friend of God, "holy and perfect" and the 
fourth Imam or chief after the prophet. Both Hossen 
and Hassan were the sons of Ali, the martyrs of Islam. 

Tradition says that they were fleeing from the 
Sunnites after the battle of Karbala, when they came 
to an old poplar, hollow with age. "May Allah be 
praised," said the sons of Ali, and hiding in the hol- 
low, they waited till their enemies should have gone 
away. Hassan and Hossen were giving thanks to the 
Almighty for deliverance from the unbelievers, when 



65 

they repassed the place where the fugitives were hid- 
den. Close by, a partridge called, according to its 
wont: "Kac-kabac, kac-kovac." 

Kabac signifies, in Turkish and Arabic, poplar; 
and kovac, the hollow of a tree. So that the pursu- 
ers understood it to say, "the poplar, the hollow 
tree." 

"What can this mean.^" asked the* Sunnites from 
each other. Doubtless some one is hidden in the 
hollow of that old poplar, perhaps Hassan and Hossen 
— whom may Allah confound at the last day." Run- 
ning to the tree they found the enemy, and both 
brothers were massacred on the spot and left there. 

When they were gone, the partridge approached 
the spot where the sons of Ali had been massacred. 
It dipped its claws and its beak into the blood of the 
servants of Allah. Since that day the partridge is ac- 
cursed, and to its eternal shame its beak and claws 
remain reddened with the blood of Hassan and Hos- 
sen. It is forbidden men to nourish in their houses 
the bird stained with the blood of the martyrs, and it 
is a meritorious act before Allah and men to kill the 
red-legged partridge. 

On the other hand, it is a crime to hurt the grey- 
legged partridge. For this charming bird, after the 
massacre of Hassan and Hossen, abused the Sunnites 
with its cry of "Tchefut, Tchefut," which signifies, 
in Turkish and Arabic, ''Jew, Jew," and the name of 
Jew is the grossest insult which can be given to 
a creature of Allah. Even to the present day, the 









KBhHBjI^ 


v» 1 1 


9^^^^^^^^^^^^^|P^ 


P 





FIVE G] 



ON A HUNTING TRIP. 



(>7 

descendants of the prophet wear a grey turban and 
ride horses of the same color. 

Akpar, the son of Ressa, was the youngest Imam. 
Thus the cord of his h'fe was broken so that he did 
not enter the service to which he was called. 

Abbas, the cousin of Abi, was the bravest and 
strongest Imam among his people. 

Ressa was the third Imam after Hassan, a faithful 
believer in all the teachings of the prophet. They 
say he had spiritual knowledge of coming events, and 
had the power of death in his hands; and yet he was 
consumed as the rest. The soldiers were eager to 
pour their yazedish poison upon the old man; they 
wanted to prove their Turkish nature by slaughtering 
his children beforehand, — thus they thought they 
would awaken his anger, and cause him to die, as a 
sinner. They approached and tied his youngest 
daughter, and threw her into the fire. The broken- 
hearted father fixed his eyes upon his dying daughter, 
saying: "Do not be afraid, my dear, hereafter thou 
shalt fly into the most beautiful Paradise, resting on 
the arms of thy uncle. Remember, thy hope is 
above, in the happy home of thy uncle; take courage 
and suffer at the hands of the infidels, then thou shalt 
open thine eyes in a happy home, where thy uncle 
will wipe all thy tears away." 

The angry men gnashed their teeth when these 
words were spoken by the trembling man, and they 
pushed him into the fire and burned him to ashes, and 
the ashes were scattered in all directions. But, to 
their surprise, a hand appeared in the embers still un- 



68 

harmed. They tried three times to burn it, but to no 
avail. Then, according to their belief, it was taken 
to heaven for its everlasting rest. 

The Mohammedans say that was the hand that 
wrote "Mene, mene, Tekel upharsin" on the wall of 
Belshazzar, the king of Persia, and has proved to 
have done greater works than that. 

Kasem, the bridegroom, was unable to welcome 
the queen of his heart; with folded arms he bowed 
his head under the sharp knife of the enemy, while 
the partner of his life was left at the hands of his 
executors. 

After the battle some had fled, others knew not 
their fate; if they remained, death was certain; if 
they waited, there seemed very little hope for deliver- 
ance. Some were found in various places and killed, 
others suffered and died from starvation, the rest 
were taken captive and met with the same fate, very 
few escaped with their lives. 

Every morning and evening a priest will call from 
a mosque, ''Come to the prayer and hear of the 
Imams." At the same time a band of men and boys 
will march hand in hand, from street to street, shout- 
ing, ya Ali ! ya Ali ! ready to meet the next band for 
battle. Each band is divided into two parts, which 
sing in turn and cry. Some will be seen striking 
their chests violently, till their flesh has turned black 
and blue, others will strike their backs with chains un- 
til their bodies are covered with blood. In the mean- 
while priests will read the stories of the Imams; 
men, women and children will cry bitterly. Others 



69 

take a decorated flag and go about the streets, stop- 
ping at each mosque and still continuing their lamen- 
tation. 

In the large cities they are divided into six factions: 
1, The band of music. 2. The flag and a hand of 
silver or zinc carried at the same time. This reminds 
them of the hand in the fire. 3. A band of reading 
men. 4. Children on black horses, all dressed in 
black. 5. A band of men with chains. 6. Men 
dressed in white, holding swords in their hands with 
which they are cutting their heads, but not seriously. 
If one of them dies during the katl, it is believed 
that he will get his 72 fairies, and will drink unfer- 
mented wine from the golden cup forevermore. 

Beloved reader, how thankful you and I should be 

that Jesus Christ bought us with His blood. Let us 

not seek to work out our own salvation by good deeds 

and merits, but look to Him who died on the cross to 

give salvation to the world. "Whosoever believeth 

in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life." 

O Jesus, blessed Jesus, 
Reveal Thyself to all ; 
And give Thy Spirit to us 
Now and forevermore. 

MOHAMMEDANS AND CHRISTIANS. 

Every Mohammedan may imagine that he has his 
prophet from God, he may think that he is in fellow- 
ship with those who have spiritual knowledge. He 
may say, I serve a prophet greater than the angels, 
and according to his belief he may add: All the 
angels were forbidden to be in the presence of God, 



70 

but Mohammed received an invitation to sup with 
the Almighty, and flew millions of miles to the sev- 
enth heaven, where the angels and heavenly powers 
were not permitted to be seen. Furthermore, he 
may boast and say, our Imams' perfect lives and our 
leader's righteous works have set us free, and we may 
fly aloft, eat and drink joyfully in the heavenly man- 
sions. Our worship, home, and social life, our law 
and national duties, all are taken from the book of 
our apostle, kept and taught faithfully. Therefore 
we say, we are the only people who are to enter 
heaven. This and more they may have to say, but 
it all appears to me to be but as the imaginations of 
an opium smoker. 

All Christian nations are considered animals by 
the Mohammedans. No honor or compliment is 
given to any one outside their own circle. When 
they meet each other, they say, "Peace unto you." 
But on meeting a Christian or Jew, they use a differ- 
ent greeting, to show that he is not one of them. 
They always try to turn people to their own faith; if 
any one asks: "How can I believe in your religion, 
when you do not let me touch your Koran or allow 
me to learn your rules of worship.'*" they say, it is our 
duty to keep away from you as long as you are a 
Christian, because you are not clean enough to take 
our holy book into your hands. Confess in the name 
of Mohammed and be circumcised, and you can come 
near us and know of our doings. 

Some Mohammedans will not sit in the same room 
with Christians or Jews and breathe the same air, be- 



71 

cause the breath of ''infidels" will defile the air of the 
room, they will not converse with them, nor do they 
dwell in communities where Christians live. They 
will not eat and drink with any but their own people; 
if a Christian should happen to eat off their dishes, 
they must be broken or washed several times in order 
to be purified. No Christian is permitted to sell 
liquids, such as milk, oil, or even fruits. The Mo- 
hammedans are prohibited from buying such things 
from the Christians. The Christians must not touch 
any such articles in possession of a Mohammedan 
merchant; if they do, they must buy them, for they 
are thereby become unclean and he can not sell them 
to a Mohammedan. It is not considered a sin to over- 
charge, cheat, or rob Christians. A hungry Moham- 
medan may ask a Christian for food, but after eating 
it, he will wash his mouth, so as not to carry the odor 
of it into his own dwelling. I knew a young Moham- 
medan who became a Christian and because of it was 
not permitted to live with his father. Being a fol- 
lower of Christ, he was regarded as an outcast. He, 
nevertheless, continued to visit his father, and did all 
he could to reconcile, him and win him for his faith. 
Once the father rose up to kiss his son, but instantly 
he drew back, saying, you are unclean, how can I.-* 
A second time he rose up, and again sat down. But 
at last his parental affection overcame the prejudices 
of his religion; he rose up and kissed his son, but did 
not omit to wash his mouth afterwards. 

All religious prejudice and all the persecutions 
which Christians have suffered in Persia have come 



72 

either from the priests themselves or from a low and 
ignorant class of people influenced by the priests; and 
now the priesthood of the Mohammedan church tries 
to drive all Christians out of Persia, but the govern- 
ment has stood loyally by the Christians, and looks 
upon them as good citizens, and as intelligent and 
trustworthy people. The priests try to hold the na- 
tion under their rule; they say no institution of learn- 
ing must be maintained which is outside of their con- 
trol, and all the laws of the country must be subject 
to the dictation of their high priest. But the govern- 
ment says, No, and encourages Christians to build 
schools and educate all who are Willing to come in 
contact with them. Some twenty years ago, the 
priesthood had more influence than the government, 
therefore people were afraid to converse with Chris- 
tians about religion; but ever since Mohammedanism 
gave rise to new sects, people have had more free- 
dom; they are their own masters in all respects, and 
they are not afraid of priests any more. 

It must be stated that not all Mohammedans look 
upon the Christians as animals. All noblemen, 
counts, lords, and all who constitute the better class 
of Persian society, are social and friendly. They re- 
spect an educated Christian more than they do their 
own people, and do not show any religious prejudices; 
they try to learn the languages spoken by Christians, 
and send their children to their schools, and some- 
times they even send them to Europe. Educated 
Christians have better opportunity to see his majesty, 
the Shah, than do most of the Mohammedans. In 



73 

Teheran I met one of the Kurdish lords^ who had come 
all the way from Aderbajan to lay his case before 
the king, and after spending a fortune he was permit- 
ted to be present at the king's judgment; but fearing 
that he would be beheaded, he simply bowed and 
repeated, ''Your honor, your honor," while Merza 
Kahraman (the young man who saved me when in the 
hands of my uncle) visited his majesty quite fre- 
quently, and was greatly honored by all Moslem offi- 
cers. In short, the weakness of Mohammedanism in 
Persia gives Christian workers good opportunity to 
spread the Truth; Persia is open for the Gospel, we 
must not sleep at the time of harvest, but work! 

THE HOME. 

The Persian, that is, the Mohammedan language 
knows no such words as home and wife, but only 
house and woman. Polygamy, too, with its attend- 
ant evils and cruelties, is one of the ulcers of Persian 
society. A Mohammedan will not be seen on the 
street with his wife; if it happens that he is out with 
her she must not walk beside him, but follow him; if 
a man kills his wife, he will be fined a sum of money. 
According to their law, women have not the same 
rights as men. 

Marriage, according to the law of Islam, is not a 
religious but a civil act. The priest is invited merely 
as a matter of courtesy, the validity of the contract 
consists in its being attested by two witnesses. 

1 This gentleman has about 40,000 Kurds under his control, of 
whom very few could even read. He asked me to open a school 
in his district, and promised me protection. 



74 

If a young Mohammedan wants to be married, he 
will ask some old woman; she may be his aunt, or, 
perhaps, his cousin, or, maybe it is one of his ac- 
quaintances, if she knows of any young lady that 
would be suitable for him. Of course she knows of 
many. These old women are always on the look-out, 
for they receive many presents in that way. Then 
she will call on a certain family, where she knows 
there is a daughter, and will begin in this way: "I 
have nothing of importance to say, but was passing by 
and thought I would call. After she has smoked awhile 
and drunk some coffee together with the mother of 
the young lady, she will say: **Will you send your 
daughter out of the room.'' I wish to speak to you pri- 
vately." She will then say many good things about 
the young man on whose errand she goes, and that he 
wishes to receive the hand of her daughter in marriage. 

If the father has no objections, the bargaining be- 
gins; if she is handsome, he may ask as much as two 
or three hundred dollars; if she is not at all handsome, 
it may be he will get forty or fifty; if he is poor, or 
if he is greedy, he will say: "You see it is this way, 
I have brought up my daughter and have had expense 
and trouble all these years, and she has not earned 
me a penny. Her husband must pay me something 
for all this." Among the better class of Moslems, 
however, the price paid is in jewelry and clothes, 
which will belong to the bride. 

They go to a lawyer, and he puts it down on paper 
that this man — mentioning his name — desires to re- 
ceive in marriage the daughter of such and such a 



75 

man, and promises to give on such a day sueh and 
such a price, whatever that may be. To this he signs 
his name, and the witnesses write theirs, and the paper 
g^oes to the girl's . father. This is the ceremony. 
There is no religious service, and there are no ques- 
tions, no answers, no promises, no vows. As soon as 
the bridegroom has paid what he has promised he can 
claim his wife. If anyone of the relatives is not sat- 
isfied with the present, he will say to the bridegroom: 
"Until you buy me a coat or maybe trousers, you can- 
not have your wife." But if all are satisfied, they will 
march to bring the bride. She may never have seen 
the man to whom she is to be married, or she may 
not know of her wedding day until a few hours before- 
hand; or she may refuse to be married. In the last 
case she will get a good slapping from her father. 
But if she has been informed a few days before and is 
willing, then, before the men arrive, the bride is 
locked into a chamber," is seated up high in a chair 
which is set upon a sofa at the back of the room, and 
is dressed in her pink bridal garment. She paints 
her fingers, toes, and eyebrows, and then she is veiled 
with a double pink veil. 

After some superstitious ceremonies have been per- 
formed, sugar is transferred from the mouth of the one 
to the other in order to remind them of the sweetness of 
their future relations to one another. The bride is 
then placed on the back of a horse, and departs for the 
home of her husband. In the meanwhile a band plays 
merry tunes at the head of the procession, and on 
their way they sing: — 



76. 

Our fair bride is on the way, 
Like a pink, so fresh and gay. 
At the door our bridling fair. 
Like the pink's her perfume rare. 
In the courtyard is the bride. 
She's a rose that's open'd wide. 
On the stair the bride see now. 
White as jasmine is her brow. 
Now she conies within the room, 
Her neck is like the lily's bloom. 

As soon as the bride's relatives have left, the women 
raise her veil with the silver handle of a dagger, and 
whether she comes up to their expectations or not 
they are in duty bound to sing: 

How beautiful she is, the bride, 

Her brow is high and white and wide. 

May God preserve her. 
Her eyebrows have the rainbow's curve, 
Her eyes for coffee cups may serve, 

May God preserve her. 
Her cheeks the rose's inmost fold, 
Her mouth a little box of gold, 

May God preserve her. 
Her lips as red as cherries are. 
Her teeth than pearls are whiter far, 

May God preserve her. 
Like milk her skin is fair and white, 
Like cypress is she tall and slight, 

May God preserve her. 

The women believe that every one of them must be 
married, whether young or old, otherwise, if they die, 
they will be lost; but marriage will save their souls. 
Accordingly, a man will have all kinds of wives, 
some eighteen or twenty years of age, others nearly 
as old as his grandmother. He may have children 
with several of these and then troubles arise. The 



77 

older one will try to poison the children of the 
younger, and even the husband is afraid of his life. 
If life becomes too bitter, some of them will be sent 
away. 

In Persia woman is degraded. Even under its 
most favorable aspect her life is one of idleness, and, 
where circumstances allow, of luxurious idleness. But 
among the great mass of the poorer class women are 
the drudges, doing the hardest work, and are for the 
most part placed on level with the beasts of burden. 
Among the better class of Moslems, however, women 
receive kinder treatment. They do not allow them 
to work for their living; and do not want them to 
have liberty and speak to strangers. A woman is not 
permitted to see any of the male friends of her hus- 
band, except her own nearest relatives. In most 
cases, man and woman are not like husband and wife, 
but as master and slave. 

A Mohammedan can divorce his wife at any time. 
If she does not have his supper ready in time; if she 
does not show him due respect; if she does not come 
quickly when called, or for other paltry reasons, he 
can say, "Go, I am divorced from you," and she is no 
more his wife. He may have spoken this in a fit of 
anger, and said more than he meant to say, and may 
regret it at once, and try to speak to her again. ' 'No," 
she will say, keeping her face hidden from him. "You 
are not my husband, I do not know you." 

There are three chief kinds of divorce, — the di- 
-vorce by virtue of which the husband cannot take 
back his wife; the divorce with this right in reserve; 
and the temporary divorce. 



78 

If a man desires to take back one of his divorced 
wives, he cannot go and ask her to follow him, but^ 
he will send word that she must be married to another 
man, and then be divorced the next day to marry her 
first husband. According to Mohammedan law, if there 
is no one to marry her temporarily, her first husband 
must pay some one to marry her, only to be divorced 
on the following morning, and then he can have her 
back. 

The ordinary laws regarding marriage given by 
Mohammed niimber no less than one thousand four 
hundred and twelve. 

Whenever the announcement of the birth of a girl 
is made, a dead silence will follow. The groans of 
the nearest lady relatives and the sobs of the poor 
mother will be the next, and no one dare break the 
news to the unfortunate father — men and women will 
depart in an ungraceful manner. Often the husband 
approaches the unhappy woman and scolds her. I 
knew of a woman, who, having given birth to a fourth 
daughter, had beaten her head and breast with her 
fists in a frenzied attempt to commit suicide. 

Had the child been a boy, a turmoil of congratu- 
lations would have followed upon the proclamation, 
and gifts been given to the first one who informed 
the father. He would have been embraced with tears 
of joy by his comrades, because a son had been born 
to him. Drums would have been beaten and trumpets 
sounded, and gifts been sent to the mother. 

The child is first taken and rubbed well with salt; 
one of the women then throws a bunch of keys into 



79 

the basin, mutters a spell of a religious character, 
and blows three times into the water. This is, how- 
ever, done for the "evil eye." 

The body of the mother is then plastered over with 
a mixture, composed of honey and various aromatic 
condiments, which is believed to possess strengthen- 
ing and recuperating properties, and which is left on 
for about an hour. 

All these arrangements completed, the happy father 
enters to congratulate his wife and give the child the 
name by which it is henceforth to be distinguished. 
For no formality equivalent to registration or baptism 
is customary among the Moslems, and Persian biog- 
raphers fix the date of famous men by their death in- 
stead of their birth. 

The infant is carried by the father outside the door, 
and then bespeaks three times into the child's ear the 
name chosen for it. If the father is unacquainted 
with the form of prayer to be used, a priest is called 
to assist in the fulfillment of this duty. The circum- 
cision is performed on the following Friday. 

When a child is afflicted with the so-called evil eye, ^ 
the mother will go to a saintly moUah in order to re- 
move the spell. This holy man, whose breath, sanc- 
tified by the constant repetition of the name of the 
deity, has acquired a supernatural healing power, 
proceeds to make a series of mysterious breathings on 
the face of the child, accompanied by the imposition 



1 It would be a long list to give the cures for "evil eye." For 
some, see the chapter on Armenians. 



8o 

of his hands. These concluded, he produces a tiny 
scroll of paper inscribed with some holy words or with 
a passage from the Koran, and orders it either to be 
soaked in water and the liquid to be drunk, or to be 
tied on the right arm of the child; another to be 
placed under his pillow during the night, and prom- 
ises a sure cure. 

The Mohammedans are much more superstitious 
than any other oriental people. To note all their be- 
liefs would require pages. The following may serve 
as specimens. If wolves howl in packs, it betokens a 
death, or it may mean frost. Sparrows flying in large 
flocks are held as a sign of severe cold. The croak of 
a raven announces to the mother that she will give 
birth to a girl. To meet a snake before sunrise, or 
about sunset, augurs the death of a relative. If the 
turtle-dove sits on a roof and coos, it announces to 
the inmates the return of a friend from a foreign coun- 
try. When a cuckoo sits on a house and sings, it be- 
tokens a death in the house. 

When the dying person has breathed his last, the 
wailing of the women begins. Those most affected by 
the sad event, often beat their breasts and tear their 
hair in a passionate outburst of grief. When the eyes 
of the dead have been closed and the chin bandaged, 
and a piece of wood is placed under each arm, they 
whisper in his ear, "You must not be afraid of all 
that comes in your way, but fight." 

The ceremony when fully performed, consists in 
washing the hands and then conveying water in them 
three times to the nose and the lips, and from the 
crown of the head to the temples; three times from 



8i 

behind the ears to the neck, from the pahn of the 
hand to the elbow, and then to the feet, commencing 
with the right. When this formality has been twice 
repeated, the coffin, or rather shell, is brought in, 
and three long strips of strong material are laid across 
it, and on them are placed three strips of calico; then 
men will carry the corpse to the mosque, followed by 
a long procession of male mourners. It is considered 
a meritorious act to carry a dead body even for a 
short distance, and the bearers at the Moslem funeral 
are consequently continually relieved by others who 
wish to obtain the benefits which the performance of 
this religious duty is believed to confer. At the 
mosque the first part of the burial service is read by 
the priest, as follows: 

*' O Allah, pardon Thou our living and our dead, 
those of us looking on, and those of us absent, our 
little ones and our adults, our men and our women. 

"Cause Thou this departed one to possess Thy 
mercy and Thy grace. 

"O God, if he (or she) has been a worker of good 
works, then do Thou add unto him good works, and 
if he has been an evil-doer, do Thou pass it over. 
And may security and glad tidings surround him with 
honor and privilege. And free Thou him from the 
torment of the grave and of hell-fires, causing him to 
dwell in the abodes of the Paradises with his relatives. 
O Allah, make Thou his tomb a garden of the gardens 
of heaven; and let not his grave be a pit of the pits of 
perdition, for Thy mercy's sake, O Thou most com- 
passionate of the merciful. O God, unto whomsoever 



82 

'Thou grantest life, cause Thou him to live resigned to 
Thy will (i. e. a Moslem); and whomsoever Thou 
callest, let him die in the faith of Islam." 

On the arrival of the procession at the cemetery 
the coffin is placed by the side of the excavation, the 
lid is removed, and the body lifted by six persons, 
and lowered into the earth. When the remainder of 
the prayers for the dead has been recited, the grave 
is filled up, and the mourners return home. The 
priest remains a short time longer, to prompt the de- 
ceased in his replies to the questions. Two angels, 
Mounkir and Nekir, according to the Moslem belief, 
enter the grave with the dead in order to interrogate 
them concerning their faith. If the dead one has been 
a devout Moslem, his reply will be: *'MyGod is 
Allah, my prophet, Mohammed, and my religion, 
Islam, and my Kibla, the Kaaba."(Kibla is the direc- 
tion in which Moslems turn when performing their 
devotions.) If, however, he had been but an indiffer- 
ent follower of the prophet, he will not be able to re- 
member his creed. In the former case the angels give 
the dead a taste of all kinds of delights, and in the 
latter they afflict him with various torments. 

THE SHAHR AND THE URF, THE LAWS OF PERSIA. 

Persian law is divided into two parts, the Shahr 
and the Urf. The former is administered by the 
mollahs, or priests, and is based upon the Koran. 
The latter is the oral law administered by secular 
judges; who decide cases according to common sense 
and traditions, or precedents, orally handed down. 



83 

As a rule the Urf takes cognizance of criminal 
cases, and the Shahr of civil cases. The criminal is 
tried before the governor of a town or village; in the 
award of penalties, however, he follows the rules pre- 
scribed by the Shahr, so far as they have not passed 
into desuetude. Sometimes a criminal case is appealed 
to the governor, or to the Shah himself. 

The expounders and administrators of the Shahr 
are called moUahs and mushtaheds. The highest 
mushtahed of all, the present chief justice, dwells at 
the tomb of Ali. In ordinary cases a decision by the 
inferior mollahs with their seal attached is sufficient, 
but cases of importance must be referred to the chief 
mushtahed. 

The code of Persia consists of four parts, with nu- 
merous subdivisions or chapters. The first treats 
of religious rites and duties; the second, of contracts 
and obligations; the third, of matters relating to 
the person; and the fourth part, of laws relating to the 
class, meats and drinks, legal procedure, and the 
specifications of penalties both from a religious and a 
civil point of view. 

There are five hundred and forty-nine laws respect- 
ing religious worship. The regulations concerning 
fasting and pilgrimages number no less than one 
thousand and twelve. Good works 'and rules con- 
cerning the poor, also take up a large part of the first 
division of the Shahr. The law of sales includes six 
hundred and twenty-five titles in the second division. 
In the part prescribing religious ordinances we read 
that: 



84 

"It is forbidden any man to say his prayers in the 
presence of any woman who, either at his side or be- 
fore him, is also praying, whether praying together 
with him or alone; and without regard to the charac- 
ter of the woman, whether she be wife or within for- 
bidden decree of kinship, or a stranger. She must 
be far from him, at least twelve feet, or behind a cur- 
tain so as not to be seen. 

*'One should avoid praying before an open fire, or 
in the stable of horses, asses, or mules; but it is per- 
mitted in a sheephold. 

"He who is dumb must wag his tongue while men- 
tally repeating his prayers. 

"Whoever has offered prayer without positively 
remembering that he has fulfilled every regulation, is 
obliged to repeat the prayer. 

"He who cannot properly pronounce the vowels 
shall not lead the prayers." 

In the second division of the Urf, the law of sales, 
which includes six hundred and twenty-five, we read 
that: 

"It is not permissible to sell a piece of cloth or of 
land by a general exhibition of them to the purchaser, 
without ot)liging him to make a minute inspection. 
Nevertheless, it is more prudent to examine and touch 
the object sold, because of the various uses to which 
it may be put, and of the difficulty of obtaining an 
exact notion of the object without touching, measur- 
ing, or inspecting it. 

"The specifications of a thing sold should be made 
in a manner to leave no doubt in the mind of the par- 



85 

ties; it should further be stated in usual terms, in or- 
der that, in case it be contested, the dispute can be 
settled by reference to the dictionary. 

"It is not permitted to sell fruits on the tree before 
they are shaped, that is, before the kernel is formed, 
but when they have reached that state they may be 

sold. 

♦•'The purchaser of a slave may change his name at 
any time, but should avoid counting the price of one 
in the presence of another slave. 

''It is forbidden any one not sound in mind, to be 
a judge or governor at any court." 

Shah is the absolute monarch. He appoints gov- 
ernors for each state, and the governors appoint minor 
governors for the cities. The Shah gives each gov- 
ernor a knife, and will give him power to use it for 
manslaughter. The modes of punishment used by 
these appointed governors are barbarous in the ex- 
treme. The convicts are put to death either by be- 
ing beheaded in a public square or by being nailed to 
a wall, or in other ways. 

One of these governors was once called to Oroom- 
iah City as a ruler. He said: 'T am surprised: every 
man has two ears, hands and feet. I wonder what 
kind of a ruler has been in this city, that people have 
not been punished." They, however, think that 
Christians are not deemed sufficiently worthy of such 
privileges as these punishments are considered to be. 

The ground belongs to the lords and counts; they 
give it to the farmers to till, half of everything being 
returned to the owners. Hard labor and taxes are 



86 

for the natives, the profits are given to the chiefs. 
The natives have to pay taxes for each member of 
their family, whether at home or abroad; as long as 
he is not dead, parents must pay his taxes. 

Natives are largely employed in agriculture and 
carpet making. Oxen, buffaloes, and cows are used 
for ploughing the fields and threshing; and all the 
farm work is carried on by such animals, even all their 
grain is carried by donkeys and camels. 

In the large towns people live more peacefully; 
there is not a single policeman in the streets during 
the day, till nine o'clock at night. Thereafter no one 
is allowed to be out. If it is necessary to be out the 
party must have a lantern in hand and a soldier as a 
guide. The party must also know the name of the 
night, as a name is given for each night and kept in 
secret from the public, being known only to the po- 
lice and government officers. If any one is out, and 
does not know the name of the night, officers will 
cast him into prison until he is proved to be a law- 
abiding citizen. 

All the Moslems are in duty bound to make a pil- 
grimage, at least to one of the four national mosques. 
If any one fails to perform it during his life, his bones 
must be carried to Karbala, after his death. Dead 
ones are transported every year to Karbala, and are 
buried near the grave of the prophet, to be saved. 
All the bones must be carefully packed in boxes and 
tied on horses. Crowds of men every year take dry 
bones of their relatives, and march towards that 
place. If any one is unable to fulfill the will of his 



8; 

parents by sending their bones to the holy place, he 
will gather all the bones that he can carry on his back, 
and walk all the way to that place. Sometimes all 
the bones are crushed, but they do not mind that, if 
only they can bury the rest, and save their friends 
from punishment to everlasting life. 

When father Pilgrim returns, women and children 
look anxiously to see what he bears in his beak. 
If it happens to be a bit of glass, it is a sign that the 
year will be free from war, plague, famine, and that 
every one will be happy; if a rag, that it will be a 
year of sickness; if an ear of corn, that cereals will be 
abundant. If the stork arrives with his beak raised 
to the sky, it is a bad sign, for the father pilgrim is 
dissatisfied with men and will not deign to look at 
them; if, on the contrary, his beak is pointed earth- 
ward, and toward the town, he murmurs, Peace be 
with you, and the pious Moslems reply. On thee 
be peace. Welcome, father Pilgrim, welcome, and 
they will wish to see what he has seen. 

Often I met groups of men going toward those 
places of visit. They were tired and weary, but joy- 
ous smiles were on their faces. Their greatest happi- 
ness was to end the long journey, and kneel at the 
graves of the Imams; and to possess an image of clay, 
or a wooden comb, to be used at their worship. Every 
Mohammedan must either have one of these images, 
or both, in his pocket, to pray to and worship. Be- 
fore prayer, every one of them must wash his hands 
and face, and wet his toes and his head. The image 
is then laid before him on a colored piece of silk. The 



worshiper kneels and rises six times during each 
prayer, lifting his hands towards his ears, saying: "I 
am witnessing for Mohammed the prophet of God," 
etc. Five times a day prayers are uttered; the same 
thing is repeated every day and during the entire 
year. If there are pictures or other articles on the 
wall at the time of worship, prayer will 
not be answered; the room must be empty. 
If a sword, or any sharp article is on their body, it 
must be laid aside; otherwise, answer to their prayer 
will not come. When trav^eling, if there is no water 
in which to wash, dry dust will serve the purpose. 
They do their praying on the streets, or in public 
squares in order to be seen; especially during Rama- 
zan, the month of fasting. They are sad-faced and 
down-cast in their appearance, to show that they are 
religious men; at such times it is not safe to speak to 
them twice. 

Darwishes are another holy order of Moslems, and 
are looked upon as a humble and long-suffering peo- 
ple. 

Women without children make a vow to Allah, if 
given to them a son, they will consecrate him to God 
to be a Darwish. There are Darwishes from every 
class of people, from the royal family to the lowest 
mill-keeper. Some of them live a lonely life, and 
dwell in dry wells, and even live on opium and nuts. 
After a time they will go from place to place with sheep- 
skin on their shoulders, telling stories and singing, 
followed by crowds who desire to hear their singing. 



89 

When they have used opium, they speak most cheer- 
fully. It is a power, they claim, given to them by 
Allah. 

Others will go from town to town dressed in white, 
with an axe on their shoulders, singing in a low voice, 
to make it known that they are coming. Once I 
asked one of them: What does all this mean.? He 
said: *'We have renounced the world, and are living 
as John the Baptist, in order to possess heaven." 
Compare this religion with that of our blessed Sav- 
ior, Jesus Christ, the God-man, who gave His life for 
all nations, even His enemies. All His faithful be- 
lievers are, spiritually, as the sun shining in its ful- 
ness, while the unbelievers are as the darkness of 
midnight. Oh that the day might soon be at hand 
when the blessed Gospel of Jesus Christ is being 
proclaimed in all Persia! 

THE KORAN 

or the holy book of the Mohammedans, is a volume 
divided into Hi chapters. It constitutes the revela- 
tion proclaimed by Mohammed as received during the 
latter part of his life at Mecca. Each chapter begins 
with the words: "In the name of the most merciful 
God." In the first chapter we read: "Praise be to 
God, the Lord of all creatures; the most merciful, 
the king of the day of judgment. Thee do we wor- 
ship, and of Thee do we beg assistance. Direct us in 
the right, in the way of those to whom Thou hast 
been gracious; not of those against whom Thou art 
incensed, nor those who go astray." 



90 



THE CREATION OF ADAM. 



The following story of the creation of Adam is con- 
tained in the Koran, and it gives the minutest particu- 
lars; some portions of it I have taken from traditions 
which are derived from Mohammed himself; and their 
essential features are found in the Koran, but are 
carried out and completed by oral traditions, and are 
considered the Mohammedan's theology and morals. 

When the Lord said unto the angels, I am going to 
create a man on earth, they said, wilt Thou place 
there one who will do evil therein, and shed blood.-* 
God answered: Verily I know which ye know not; 
and He taught Adam the names of all thtngs, and 
then asked these names of the angels. They an- 
swered, Praise be unto Thee, we have no knowledge 
but what Thou teachest us, for Thou art knowing and 
wise. God said: O Adam, tell them their names. 
And when he had told them their names, God said, 
did I not tell you that I know the secrets of heaven 
and earth, and know that which ye discover, and that 
which ye conceal.-* The four most exalted angels 
were commanded to bring from the four corners of 
the earth the dust out of which Allah formed the body 
of Adam, all save the head and heart. For these He 
employed exclusively the sacred earth of Mecca and 
and Medina, from the very spots on whicli, in later 
times, the holy Kaaba^ and the sepulchre of Moham- 
medans were erected. 

1 Kaaba was an ancient temple in the early days of Moliani- 
med, and was held in great veneration ; and now, Mohammedans 
turn their faces towards Mecca and the Kaaba when saying their 
prayers. 



91 

When all the inhabitants of heaven, save Iblis, had 
gazed on Adam in long and silent wonder, they burst 
out in praises to Allah, the Creator of the first man, 
who was so tall and beautiful. 

Allah then directed the angels to bathe the soul of 
Adam, which he had created a thousand years before 
his body, in the sea of glory which proceedeth from 
Himself, and commanded it to animate his yet lifeless 
form. The soul hesitated, for it was unwilling to ex- 
change the boundless heavens for this narrow home; 
but Allah said: "Thou must animate Adam even 
against thy will, and as the punishment of thy dis- 
obedience, thou shalt one day be separated from him 
also against thy will." Allah then breathed upon it 
with such violence that it rushed through the nostrils 
of Adam into his head. On reaching his eyes, they 
were opened, and he saw the throne of Allah with the 
inscription, "There is but one God, and Mohammed 
is his messenger, " The soul then penetrated to his 
ears, and he heard the angels praising Allah; there- 
upon his own tongue was loosed, and he cried, 
"Blessed be Thou, my Creator, the only one and 
eternal." The soul at last pervaded all the limbs of 
Adam, and when it had reached his feet, it gave him 
the power to rise; but, on rising, he was obliged to 
shut his eyes, for a light shone on him 
from the throne of the Lord which he was unable to 
endure; and pointing with one hand toward it, while 
he shaded his eyes with the other, he inquired, "O 
Allah! what flames are those.-^" "It is the light of a 
prophet who shall descend from thee and appear on 



92 

earth in later times. By my glory, only for his sake 
have I created thee and the whole world. In heaven 
his name is Ahmed, ^ but he §hall be called Mohammed 
on earth, and he shall restore mankind from vice and 
falsehood to the path of virtue and truth. " 

Allah commanded the angels to bow down to 
Adam, as the most free and perfect of all His crea- 
tures, and as the only one that was animated by His 
breath. Israfil was the first one to obey, hence Allah 
confided to him the book of fate. The other angels 
followed his example. Iblis alone was disobedient, 
saying, with disdain, "Shall I, who am created of 
fire, worship a being formed of the dust.-*" He was 
therefore expelled from heaven, and the entrance in- 
to Paradise was forbidden him. 

Adam on this occasion manifested to the angels 
that he far surpassed them in wisdom, and more espe- 
cially in the knowledge of languages, for he knew the 
name of every created thing in seventy different 
tongues. 

After this discourse, Allah presented him, through 
Gabriel, with a bunch of grapes from Paradise, and 
when he had eaten them he fell into a deep sleep. 
The Lord then took a rib from Adam's side, and 
formed a woman of it, whom he called Hava (Eve) 
for he said, I have taken her from "hia" the living. 
She bore a perfect resemblance to Adam; but her fea- 
tures were more delicate than his, and her eyes shone 
with a sweeter luster, her hair was longer, and divided 

^The most praised one. 



93 

into seven hundred braids; her form was lighter, and 
her voice more soft and pure. 

Allah himself then said to them, "I have appointed 
this garden for your abode; it will shelter you from 
cold and heat, from hunger and thirst. Take at your 
discretion, of every thing that it contains; only one 
of its fruits shall be denied you. Beware that you 
transgress not this one command, and watch against 
the wily rancor of Iblis! He is your enemy, because 
he was overthrown on your account; his cunning is 
infinite and he aims at your destruction." 

The new created pair heeded Allah's words, and 
lived a long time, some say five hundred years, in 
Paradise without approaching the forbidden tree. 
But Iblis also had listened to Allah, and resolving to 
lead man into sin, wandered constantly in the out- 
skirts of heaven, seeking to glide unobserved into 
Paradise. But its gates were shut, and guarded by 
the angel Ridwhan. One day the peacock came out 
of the garden. He was then the finest of the birds of 
Paradise, for his plumage shone like pearl and 
emerald, and his voice was so melodious that he was 
appointed to sing the praises of Allah daily in the 
main streets of heaven. Iblis, on seeing him, said 
to himself, "Doubtless this beautiful bird is very vain; 
perhaps I may be able to induce him by flattery to 
bring me secretly into the garden." 

When the peacock had gone so far from the 
gates that he could no longer be overheard by Rid- 
whan, Iblis said to him: 



94 

"Most wonderful and beautiful bird! art thou of 
the birds of Paradise?" 

"I am; but who art thou, who seemest frig^htened 
as if some one did pursue thee?" 

"I'm one of those cherubim who are appointed to 
sing without ceasing the praises of Allah, but have 
glided, away for an instant to visit the paradise 
which he has prepared for the faithful. Wilt thou 
conceal me under thy beautiful wings?" 

''Why should I do an act which must bring the 
displeasure of Allah upon me?" 

"Take me- with thee, charming bird, and I will 
teach thee three mysterious words, which shall keep 
thee from sickness, age, and death." 

"Must then, the inhabitants of Paradise die?" 

"All, without exception, who know not the three 
words which I possess." 

"Speakest thou the truth?" 

"By Allah the almighty." 

The peacock believed him, for he did not even 
dream that any creature would swear falsely by its 
maker; yet, fearing lest Ridwhan might search him 
too closely on his return, he steadily refused to 
take Iblis along with him, but promised to send 
out the serpent, who might more easily discover 
the means of introducing him unobserved into the 
garden. 

Now the serpent was at first the queen of all beasts. 
Her head was like rubies, and her eyes like emerald. 
Her skin shone like a mirror of various hues. Her 
hair was soft like that of a noble virgin; and her form 



95 

resemble'd the stately camel; her breath was sweet 
like, musk and amber, and all her words were songs 
of praise. She fed on saffron, and her resting-places 
were on the blooming borders of the beautiful Can- 
tharus (a river in Paradise). She was created a 
thousand years before Adam, and destined to be the 
playmate of Eve. No sooner had the peacock in- 
formed the serpent of his adventure than she ex- 
claimed, I will hasten to the cherub, and will 
lead him into Paradise, that he may teach me the 
three mysterious words. 

The serpent ran forthwith out of the gate, andlblis 
repeated to her what he had said to the peacock, con- 
firming his words by an oath. The serpent then 
opened her mouth; Iblis flew into it, and, seating 
himself in the hollow part of her front teeth, poisoned 
them to all eternity. When they passed Ridwhan, 
who was not able to utter a sound, the serpent opened 
her mouth again, expecting that the cherub would re- 
sume his natural shape, but Iblis preferred to remain 
where he was, and to speak to Adam from the ser- 
pent's mouth, and in her name. Arriving at Eve's 
tent, Iblis heaved a deep sigh, the first which envy 
had forced from any living breast. 

''Why art thou so cast down today, my beloved 
serpent.!'" inquired Eve, who had heard the sigh. 

"I am anxious for the future destiny of thee and 
of thy husband," replied Iblis, imitating the voice of 
the serpent. 

"How! Do we not possess in these gardens of Eden 
all that we can desire.'*" 



96 

"True; and yet the best of the fruits of this gar- 
den, and the only one which can procure you perfect 
felicity, is denied you." 

"Thou hast never spoken of these things until now, 
beloved serpent; whence derivest thou this knowl- 
edge?" 

"An angel informed me of it, whom I met under 
the forbidden tree." 

Eve answered, "I will go and speak with him," 
and leaving her tent, she hurried toward the tree. 

Immediately Iblis, who knew Eve's curiosity, 
sprang out of the serpent's mouth, and was standing 
under the forbidden tree, in the shape of an angel, 
with a human face, before Eve had reached it. 

"Who art thou, singular being, whose like I have 
never seen.-*" 

''I was man, but have become an angel." 

"By what means.?" 

"By eating of this blessed fruit, which an envious 
God had forbidden me to taste on pain of death. I 
long submitted to his command, until I became old 
and frail; my eyes lost their luster and grew dim, my 
ears no longer heard, my teeth decayed, and I could 
neither eat without pain, nor speak with distinctness. 
My hands trembled, my feet shook^ my head hung 
down upon my breast, my back was bent, and 
my whole appearance at last became more frightful 
than all the inhabitants of Paradise. I then longed 
for death, and expecting to meet it by eating of this 
fruit, I stretched my hands and took of it; but lo! it 
had scarcely touched my lips, when I became strong 



97 

and beautiful as at first; and though many thousand 
years have since elapsed, I am not sensible of the 
slightest change either in my appearance or in my 
energies." 

"Speakest thou the truth?" 

"By Allah, who created me, I do." 

Eve trusted to his oath, and plucked an ear of the 
wheat-tree. 

Before Adam's sin, wheat grew upon the finest tree 
in Paradise. Its trunk was of gold, its branches were 
of silver, and its leaves of emerald. From every 
branch there sprung seven ears of ruby, each ear 
contained five grains, and every grain was white as 
snow, sweet as honey, fragrant as musk, and as large 
as an ostrich's e^g. Eve ate one of these grains, and 
finding it more pleasant than all she had hitherto 
tasted, she took a second one and presented it to her 
husband. 

Adam resisted long, but when he observed that 
Eve remained fair and happy as before, he obeyed 
her at last, and ate the second grain of wheat, which 
she had carried about with her. 

Hereupon they were sent out from Paradise with 
such force that Adam and Eve could scarcely snatch 
a leaf from one of the trees wherewith to cover them- 
selves. Adam was flung out through the gate of 
repentance, which taught him that he might return 
through contrition; Eve through the gate of mercy; 
the peacock and the serpent through the gate of 
wrath, but Iblis through that of the curse. 



98 

Adam's distress in his solitude was so great that 
his beard began to grow, though his face had hither- 
to been smooth; and this new appearance increased 
his grief until he heard a voice which said to him, 
"The beard is the ornament of man upon the earth 
and distinguishes him from the woman." 

Adam shed such an abundance of tears that all 
beasts and birds satisfied their thirst therewith; but 
some of the tears sank into the earth, and, as they 
still contained some of the juice of the food in Para- 
dise, produced the most fragrant trees and spices. 

Eve also was desolate, for she did not see Adam, 
although he was so tall that his head touched the low- 
est heaven and the songs of the angels were dis- 
tinctly audible to him. She wept bitterly, and her 
tears, which flowed into the ocean, were changed in- 
to costly pearls, while those which fell on the earth 
brought forth beautiful flowers. 

Adam and Eve lamented so loudly that the east 
wind carried Eve's voice to Adam, while the west 
wind bore his to her. She wrung her hands over her 
head, which women in despair are still in the habit of 
doing; while Adam lay quiet, which is done by men 
in sorrow unto this day. 

The tears flowed at last in such torrents from 
Adam's eyes, that those of his right eye started the 
Euphrates, while those of his left set the Tigris in 
motion. ^ 



1 Mohammedans say; if Allah created Adam from nothing, he 
could make rivers flow from his tears. 



99 

When at last the whole universe grew loud with 
lamentation, and all created beings, from the small- 
est insect up to the angels who hold whole worlds in 
one hand, were weeping with Adam, Allah sent 
Gabriel to him with the words which were destined 
to save also the prophet Jonah in the whale's belly: 
"I have sinned, forgive me through Mohammed, Thy 
last and greatest prophet, whose name is engraved 
upon Thy holy throne." As soon as Adam had pro- 
nounced these words with penitent heart, the portals 
of heaven were opened to him again, and Gabriel 
cried, ''Allah has accepted thy repentance. Pray to 
him, and he will grant all thy requests, and even 
restore thee to Paradise at the appointed time." 
Adam prayed: 

"Defend me against the future artifices of Iblis my 
foe." 

Allah replied: 

"Say continually there is no God biit one, and thou 
shalt wound him as with a poisoned arrow. Build 
mosques for thine abode, then Iblis shall have no 
power over thee." 

"But if he pursue me with evil thoughts and 
dreams in the night.-^" 

"Then rise from thy couch and pray." 

"O Allah; how shall I always distinguish between 
good and evil.-*" 

"I will grant thee my guidance; two angels shall 
dwell within thy heart, one to warn thee against sin, 
the other to lead thee to the practice of good, etc." 

Allah then made a covenant with the descendants 

LofC. 



lOO 

of Adam. He touched Adam's back, and lo! the 
whole human family which shall be born to the end of 
time issued forth from it, as small as ants, and ar- 
rang-ed themselves right and left. 

At the head of those on the right stood Moham- 
med, with the prophets and the rest of the faithful 
(Islam), whose radiant whiteness distinguished them 
from the sinners, who were standing on Adam's left, 
headed by Kabil [Cain], the murderer of his brother. 

Allah then acquainted the progenitor of man with 
the names and destinies of each individual; and when 
the turn came to King David the prophet to whom 
was originally assigned a life time of only thirty years, 
Adam inquired: ''How many years are appointed to 
me." 

"One thousand," was the answer. 
' "I will sacrifice seventy if Thou wilt add them to 
the life-time of David." 

Allah consented, but, aware of Adam's forgetful- 
ness, directed this grant to be recorded on a parch- 
ment, which Gabriel and Michael signed as witnesses. 

And now when Allah was about to withdraw his 
presence for the whole of his life from Adam, the 
latter uttered so loud a cry, that the whole earth 
shook to its foundations; the AUmerciful thereupon 
extended his clemency, and said: "Follow yonder 
cloud; it shall lead thee to the place which lies 
directly opposite my heavenly throne; build me a 
temple there, and when thou walkest around it, I shall 
be as near to thee as to the angels which encompass 
my throne." 



lOI 

Adam, ^ who still retained his original stature, in a 
few hours made the journey from India to Mecca, 
where the cloud which had conducted him stood still. 
On Mount Arafa, near Mecca, he found, to his great 
joy. Eve his wife, whence also this mountain derives 
its name. They immediately began to build a temple 
with four gates, and they called the first the gate of 
Adam; the second the gate of Abraham; the third 
the gate of Ismael; and the fourth the gate of Mo- 
hammed. 

Gabriel then instructed Adam in all the ceremonies 
of pilgrimage, precisely as they were instituted by 
Mohammed at a later period; nor was he permitted 
to behold Eve his wife until the evening of Thursday, 
when the holy days were ended. 

On the following morning Adam returned with his 
wife to India, and abode there during the remainder 
of his life. But he went everv year on a pilgrimage to 
Mecca, until he at last lost his original size, retaining 
a height of only sixty yards. 

At the time of the first harvest, Gabriel came again 
and instructed Eve in making bread. Adam then 
built an oven, and Gabriel brought fire from hell, but 
washed it seventy times in the sea, otherwise it would 
have consumed the earth with all that it contained. 
When the bread was baked he said to Adam: **This 
shall be thine and thy children's chief nourishment." 

At last the 930th year of Adam's life came to its 
close, and the angel of death appeared to him in the 

^ Nine hundred and thirty years was the life-time of Adam, ac- 
cording to Gen. v., 3. 



102 

shape of an unsightly he-goat, and demanded his 
soul, while the earth opened under his feet and de- 
manded his body. Adam trembled with fear, and said 
to the angel of death: ''Allah has promised me a life- 
time of a thousand years; thou hast come too soon." 
''Hast thou not granted seventy years of thy life to 
David.'*" replied the angel. Adam denied it, for he 
had indeed forgotten the circumstance; but the angel 
of death drew forth from his beard the parchment in 
which the grant was written and signed by the angels, 
and spread it out before Adam, who, on seeing it, 
willingly gave up his soul. The same was done with 
Eve, who died in the following year. 

THE SECOND CREATION. 

When God had created Adam, Satan, after in- 
specting him, did not think highly of God's handiwork, 
and believed himself capable of producing something 
better. The Lord took Satan's remarks in good part, 
and gave him leave to try his hands at creation. 
Satan then kneaded some dough, as he had seen the Lord 
do, and fashioned it into the shape of a wolf, which 
he asserted to be equal to God's handiwork. "Thou 
must give thy creature life," said the Lord to him, "as 
I have given to mine." So Satan set about doing this 
and blew into the wolf till his black head became red, 
but to no purpose, for it still remained lifeless. The 
Lord, finally becoming weary of his vain attempts, 
struck the wolf on the side with a staff and gave him 
life. Hence it is that the wolf has a hollow beneath 
his ribs. r^God then said to the wolf: "Creature, de- 
vour thy creator." 



I03 



THE VIRGIN MARY AND THE BIRTH OF CHRIST. 
Mohammed quite frequently uses Biblical narra- 
tives but not in the Biblical sense, for instance, in 
the 19th chapter of the Koran. At first he speaks of 
John and then of Christ. Concerning the birth of 
Christ, and the virgin Mary, the Koran relates the 
followint^: When she retired from her family to a 
place toward the east, and took a veil to conceal her- 
self from them, God sent Gabriel unto her, who ap- 
peared before her in the shape of a perfect man. She 
said I flee for refuge unto the merciful God, that He 
may defend me against thee. If thou fearest Him 
thou wilt not approach me. He answered, verily 1 
am the messenger of thy Lord, and am sent to give 
thee a holy son. She said, how shall I have a son, 
seeing a man hath not touched me, and I am no har- 
lot' Gabriel replied, so shall it be: thy Lord sa.th, 
this is easy with me;-and we will perform it, that 
we may ordain him for a sign unto men, and a mercy 
from us, for it is a thing which is decreed. Where- 
fore she conceived him, and she retired aside with 
him in her womb to a distant place, and the pains of 
childbirth came upon her near the trunk of a palm 
tree She said, would to God I had died before this, 
and had become a thing forgotten, and lost in oblivion. 
And he who was beneath her called to her, saying: 
Be not grieved; now hath God provided a rivulet un- 
der thee; and do thou shake the body of the palm 
^ree and it shall let fall ripe dates upon thee, already 
.fathered; and eat, and drink, and calm thy mind. 
Moreover, if thou seest any man, and he question thee. 



104 

say, Verily, I have vowed a fast unto the Merciful; 
wherefore I will by no means speak to a man this 
day. So she brought the child to her people, carry- 
ing him in her arms. And they said unto her, O 
Mary, now hast thou done a strange thing, O sister of 
Aaron; thy father was not a bad man, neither was 
thy mother a harlot. But she made signs unto the 
child to answer them; and they said, How shall we 
speak to him, who is an infant in the cradle.^ Where- 
upon the child said. Verily I am the servant of God, 
he hath given me the book of the Gospel, and hath 
appointed me a prophet. He hath made me blessed, 
where-so-ever I shall be; and hath commanded me 
to observe prayer, and to give alms, so long as I shall 
live; and he hath made me dutiful toward my mother, 
and hath not made me proud or unhappy. And 
peace be on me the day on which I was born, and 
the day on which I shall die, and the day on which I 
shall be raised to life. This was Jesus, the son of 
Mary; the word of truth, concerning whom they 
doubt. It is not meet for God that he should have 
a son; God forbid: When he decreeth a thing, he 
only saith unto it. Be, and it is. And verily God is 
my Lord, and your Lord, wherefore serve him; this 
is the right way. Yet the sectarians differ among 
themselves concerning Jesus; but woe be unto those 
who are unbelievers, because of their appearance at 
the great day. 

Mohammed adds: They are infidels, who say, 
verily God is Christ the Son of Mary. The Jews and 
the Christians say, we are the children of God, and 



I05 

His beloved. Answer, why therefore doth He punish 
you for your sins? Nay, but ye are men, of those 
whom He hath created. God forbid, He is neither 
born nor begets. O true believers, give alms of that 
which we have bestowed on you before the daycometh 
wherein shall be no merchandizing, nor friendship, 
nor intercession. The infidels are unjust doers. God, 
there is no God but He; the living, the self-subsisting. 
O true believers, take not the Jews or Christians for 
your friends; they are friends the one to the other; 
but those among you who taketh them for his friends, 
he is surely one of them. 

And when God shall say unto Jesus, at the last day, 

Jesus son of Mary, hast thou said unto men: Take 
me and my mother for two gods beside God.? He shall 
answer. Praise be unto Thee; it is not for me to say 
that which I ought not, if I had said so, Thou wouldst 
surely have known it; Thou knowest what is in me, but 

1 know not what is in Thee, for Thou art the knower 
of secrets. I have not spoken to them any other than 
what Thou didst command me, namely; worship God, 
my Lord and your Lord; and I was a witness of their 
actions while I stayed among them; but since Thou 
hast taken me to Thyself, Thou hast been the watcher 
over them; for Thou witnessest all things. If Thou 
punishest them, they are surely Thy servants, and if 
Thou forgivest them. Thou are mighty and wise. God 
will say. This day shall their veracity be of advantage 
unto those who speak truth; they shall have gardens 
wherein rivers flow, they shall remain therein forever; 
God hath been well pleased in them, and they have been 



io6 

well pleased in Him. This shall be great felicity. 
Unto God belongeth the kingdom of heaven and of 
earth, and whatever is therein, and He is the Almighty. 

O true believers, take not my enemy and your 
enemy for your friends, showing kindness toward 
them; since they believe not in the truth and revela- 
tion which have been sent down unto Mohammed 
your apostle. If ye go forth to fight in defence of 
my religion, and out of a desire to please me, and 
privately show friendship unto them; verily I will 
know that which ye conceal, and which ye discover; 
and whosoever of you doeth this, hath already erred 
from the straight path. Verily God commandeth 
you to fight His battle, and those who fight in de- 
fence of God's religion, God will not suffer their 
works to perish; but will lead them unto Paradise. 
O true believers, if ye assist God, by fighting for 
His religion. He will assist you against your ene- 
mies; and will set your feet fast; but as for the in- 
fidels, )et them perish; and their works shall God ren- 
der vain. 

Mohammed knew the Scriptures as well as the 
devil himself, and the greater part of his book is 
taken from the passages of the Old and the New 
Testaments; but he did not direct his people in the 
right fellowship with God, in the way of prayer and 
of worship. He never taught, God is the Heavenly 
Father. He knew well that if he did, his people 
would say, Christ must be the Son of God. He de- 
clared himself, that Jesus was the Word of truth; 
and a blessing to the world, and the Word of God. 



10/ 

But he refused to call Him the Son of God, and to 
call God the Father. He said, Almighty God is the 
Creator by the Word, but is not the Father; there- 
fore all the people must tremble before Him as 
slaves. If in any way, he had called God the Father, 
his own words would give the assurance to his people 
that Christ is the Son of God, because He had no 
other. Mohammed knew that if he called God the 
Father the result would be, that many of his people 
would become believers in the Gospel of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Therefore, he worked against all who 
called God the Father, and even now, we are looked 
upon as the greatest infidels, whenever they hear us 
say, God is our Heavenly Father. 

Even if this great enemy of our Lord taught that 
Christ is not the Son of God, still it is an easy mat- 
* ter for us, by the help of our Lord, to prove from 
their own book, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, 
which we trust they will some day see, and behold 
the glory of His kingdom. 



CHAPTER V. 
FIPE^WORSHIPERS (OR ZOROASTRIANISM). 



In the middle of the seventh century of the Chris- 
tian era the prevailing religion in Persia was Zoroas- 
trianism. It was among the Medes that the famous 
sect of the fire-worshipers first took root in the Persian 
race. This religion is said to have originated in Atro- 
patene, which is now represented to be the north-west 
province of modern Persia, called Aderbajan, or prob- 
ably it may have existed far to the east, in Bactria 
or beyond. But there are a good many reasons for 
believing that it started from Aderbajan, and even 
from Oroomiah City. Firstly — the name of this city, 
as given by ancient writers, is Ormus, Ormi, Urmi, 
Ourmia, .Ormisda, etc. ; and it may have its deriva- 
tion from the god of light, Ormusd. Secondly — at a 
little distance to the east of this city an ancient, artificial 
mound rises to the height of seventy or eighty feet, 
and marks the site, as it is said, of the ancient 
shrine or temple, where Zoroaster kindled his sacred 
fires, and bowed in adoration to the heavenly hosts. 
Thirdly — there are more than twenty mounds of ashes 
all around the city of Oroomiah which are proofs of 
their ancient worship. 

Zoroaster, born about 600 B. C, in Atropatene, 
was the founder and the prophet of this religion in 
Persia. There is no doubt that he first made his ap- 

[io8] 




ZOROASTER. 



no 

pearance and disseminated his doctrines in Media, 
where the captive Israelites then resided; and it is a 
fact, too, that he made the city of Oroomiah his head- 
quarters, and from that place spread his religion in 
Assyria and Persia. He flourished in the reign of 
Hystaspes, the father of Darius; and from that time 
the ideas on which he built his religious system were 
acknowledged by the Persians to be one of the great 
fundamental religions of the world. 

Zoroaster taught that there are two gods. Ormusd, 
the god of good thoughts, good deeds and good ac- 
tions, will enable the soul to enter heaven on the 
fourth day after departure from the body, where evil 
and good deeds will be weighed in the scales of jus- 
tice. Ahraman, the god of darkness, has created 
evil thoughts, evil deeds, and evil actions, causes the 
destruction of man, and makes it impossible for him 
to pass the bridge of judgment. 

The fire-worshipers teach that good thoughts, good 
deeds, and good actions alone will be the salvation of 
man; nothing more is needed. They alone will save 
the man, as a safe pilot to the harbor of heaven, as a 
safe guide to the gates of Paradise. 

Zend-avesta, the holy book of the fire-worshipers, 
was originally composed in the pure Persian tongue, 
called the Zend, a branch of the Sanscrit. But Arta- 
zerxes devoted his attention to the reformation and 
strengthening of the national religion, and he collected 
the Magi, or priests of Zoroastrianism at Persepolis, 
to translate it into Pehlevee, the language spoken in 
Persia at that time. 



Ill 

The Zoroastrians believe that the holy fire was 
brought from heaven by Zoroaster. Only Magi can 
approach it, and must wear a half-mask over their 
faces, lest their breath should defile it; and they never 
touch it with their hand, but with golden instruments. 
They have fire burning continually on the altars 
erected in their temples for the purpose of public de- 
votions. Their private devotions are before the 
sacred fires in their own houses, or, when in the open 
air, towards the sun as the noblest of all lights, the 
most perfect fire, and the purest symbol of a benefi- 
cent God. Here they offer their prayers, three times 
a day: "Oh, Omniscient Lord, I repent of all my 
sins. I repent of all evil thoughts that I may have 
entertained in my mind, of all the evil words that I 
may have spoken, of all the evil actions that I may 
have done. O, Omniscient Lord, I repent of all the 
faults that may have originated within me, whether 
they pertain to thoughts, deeds, or actions, whether 
they pertain to my body or soul, whether they be in 
connection with the material world or the spiritual." 

It is interesting to have some knowledge about 
these people, because they have queer ideas such as 
we do not see among the western people. But we 
must take into consideration, that they are ignorant 
of divine revelation; and we, on hearing this, must 
advance to prepare the way for the coming of the 
Heavenly Prince. "Every valley shall be exalted, 
and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and 
the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough 
places plain; and the glory of the Lord shall be re- 



I 12 

vealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the 
mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." And all the na- 
tions must hear the Gospel preached, and 15,000 fire- 
worshipers in Persia must know of our Savior, Jesus 
Christ. 

The Zoroastrian religion, before it became cor- 
rupted, was preferred to any other outside of the 
divine revelation, and yet, according to that religion, 
to extinguish a candle is considered a great sin. They 
do not bury their dead, but leave them in an open 
roofed room, to be eaten by the birds. They, as the 
Mohammedans, believe in charms and talismans, 
and have 6ther superstitious beliefs. 

ZEND-AVESTA. 

The Bible of the fire worshipers is said to include 
two million verses written on a thousand parchments 
and proclaimed by Zoroaster. It is claimed to con- 
tain twenty-one books or * 'works." In the first 
"Fargard" or hymn we read of creation. 

Ahura-Mazda, the god of gods, the Hving creator, all-wise 
lord, source of light to the world, creator of all the stars by 
his inborn fire,- father of all purity in thought, word and action, 
is the one who created all good works for the good of men. 

Ahura -Mazda spake to the holy Zoroaster: 

I created, O holy Zoroaster, a place, a creation of delight, but 
nowhere was created a possibility of approach. 

For had I not, O holy Zarathuster, created a place, a creation 
of delight, where nowhere was created a possibility of approach, 

The whole corporal world would have gone after Airyana- 
Vaeja, i. e., this paradise. 

The first and best of regions and places have I created, I who 
am Ahura-Mazda. 



113 

The Aiiyana-Vaeja of the good creation. 

The Aiiyana-Vaeja, who is full of death, created in apposi- 
tion to the same. 

A great serpent and winter, which Daeves have created. ' The 
winter months are there, two summer months, and these are 
cold as to the winter, cold as to the earth, cold as to the trees. 

After this to the middle of the earth, then to the heart of the 
earth, comes the winter, then comes the most evil. 

The second and best of regions and places have I created, I 
who am Ahura-Mazda. 

To the sun and fire they pray and confess their sins 

in the following manner: 

Fire, supreme chief, rising high in the land. Hero, son of 
ocean, rising high. 

Fire, with thy pure brilliant flame, thou bringest light into 
the dwellings of darkness. 

God of the house, protector of the family. Thou decidest the 
fate of every thing which has a name. May the works of the 
man, his son, shine in purity of good thought, w-ord and deed. 
He who fears not his god, shall like a reed be broken. 
He who honors not a star, his strength shall wither. 
He fades as the light of a star is withdrawn ; 
Like waters of the night he vanishes. 

Who will teach me thy liigh command? 
Who will do the like with me? 
Among the gods thy brothers, thou hast no equal, 
Thou art great and powerful from day to day. 
Ilu, my maker, take hold of my arms. 
Guide the breath of my mouth, guide my hands ; 

Oh lord of light. 
O sun, at thy command, myosins are atoned for, 
My transgressions are abolished. 
I repent of all sins, all wicked thoughts, words and deeds, 
corporal, spiritual, earthly and heavenly, I repent of, in your 
presence, ye believers. O lord, pardon my evil thoughts, words 
and deeds. 

Of all and every kind of sin, of all sins which are upon the 
sins, which I have committed against Ormusd, men, and the 
kinds of men, I repent. 



1^4 

Of all and every kind of sin which I have committed against 
Bahman, the horned cattle, the cattle, and the kinds of cattle, I 
repent. 

Of all and every kind of sin which I have committed against 
the fire, and the kinds of fire, T repent. 

Of all and eveiy kind of sin which I have committed against 
the metals, and the kinds of metals, I repent. 

Of all and every kind of sin which I have committed against 
the earth, and the kinds of earth, I repent. 

Of all and every kind of sin which I have committed against 
the water, and the kinds of water, I repent. 

Of all and every kind of sin which I have committed against 
the trees, and against all the creatures of Ormusd as stars, 
moon, sun, and the red burning fire, the dog, the birds, and fine 
kinds of animals which are t)etween earth and heaven ; if I have 
become a sinner against any of these, I repent with thoughts, 
words, and deeds, corporal, spiritual, earthly as heavenly. O 
lord, pardon, I repent of sin, and the kinds of sin. 

With all good deeds I am pleased, and with all evil deeds I am 
displeased. May Ahriman (the god of evil) be broken, may 
Ormusd increase. 

I confess that, that which was the wish of Ormusd the creator, 
and I ought to have thought; that which was the wish of Ahri- 
man, and I ought not to have thought, I have thought. O 
Ahura forgive, and than I shall praise all good thoughts, deeds, 
and words through thought, word, and deed. I curse all evil 
thoughts, words, and deeds away from thought, word and deed. 
I lay hold on all good thoughts, words, and deeds, with thoughts, 
words, and deeds, i. e., I perform good actions. I dismiss all 
evil thoughts, words, and works, from thoughts, words, and 
works, i. e., I commit no sins. 

I remain standing fast in the statutes of the law which Ormusd 
gave to Zoroaster, I desire much after purity from love to my 
soul. As long as the life of my vital powers endures will I stand 
fast in good thoughts in my soul, in good words in my speech, in 
good deeds in my actions ; I remain standing in the good Maz- 
daya, Cuian law, to the last thought, word, and deed. 



CHAPTER VI. 
YEZIDIS, 



Yezidis are known popularly as devil-worshipers. 
They belong to those Arabs who refused to accept 
"Islam" and gathered in a loose organization under a 
certain sheik from the region of Damascus, in the 
early part of the twelfth century. Under the Moslem 
rule they have apparently accepted Mohammedanism, 
though they entertain a deep-seated hatred for Mos- 
lems. 

The members of the Yezidi sect belong to eleven 
different tribes, and number between seven and eight 
thousand families. They entertain a strong prejudice 
against learning, and their ignorance is proverbial 
among the people by whom they are surrounded, 
with the exception, perhaps, of the higher grades of 
the priestly caste. The men are consequently wholly 
without education, and their women are naturally in a 
similarly benighted condition. They are found both 
in the mountains to the east of the Tigris, and also in 
the western part of Mosel, and in the Kurdistan 
mountains. Those in the mountains speak the 
Kurdish language, but those on the plains speak 
Arabic and Persian. As a rule they are neater and 
cleaner in their dress than either the Arabs or the 
Kurds. In the main they are quiet and industrious, 
but in the northern sections of the Kurdistan moun- 

[115] 



ii6 



tains they are given to highway robbery, but in the 
Sinjar hills, where they are in the majority, they are 
obedient to the government. They give sacrifices 
and offerings to the devil by throwing money and 
jewels into a certain deep pit in the mountains of 
Sinjar. When this district was subjugated by the 
Turks, the pasha compelled their priest to disclose 
the place, and then plundered it of its large treasure, 
the offerings of the centuries. I trust, as we learn 
more about them, sympathy, prayer, and effort will 
be offered for their conversion to the only true God 
and our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

They believe the devil is the 
prince of the world, and their 
future mediator and savior of 
the world. Their holy book is 
Jilweh (the revelation), written 
by Sheik' Adi in Arabic. The 
only copy in existence is guard- 
ed on the tomb of its author, 
and will be left there, as they 
affirm, until the devil is con- 
verted; then the religion of the 
book will be understood as the 
universal religion of the world. 
Sheik Adi thus represents, with 
the Yezidis, the good principle 
as opposed to "Shietan," the 
evil principle. The former, 
they say, is so infinitely good and benevolent that it is 
hardly necessary to invoke his name or worship him; 




A DEVIL WOESHIP- 
ER'S PRIEST. 



117 

while, on the other hand, the evil principle is so ma- 
levolent in his disposition that he requires to be con- 
stantly propitiated. So great is their dread of him, 
that they refrain from using any word which has a 
sound similar to his name, and they will not keep the 
Koran in their houses, because the name of Satan is 
found in it. They are struck with horror at hearing 
the name of Satan, and death will be pronounced to 
those who speak his name. They say: "Melek Ta- 
oos" is our holy god, but the wicked people gave 
him the name of Satan to shame our protector, there- 
fore, all who speak his name deserve death, and their 
souls shall be embodied in the image of a dog or an 
unclean beast. 

They believe in God as the supreme deity, but 
have nothing to do with Him in the way of worship 
or service. They believe in an emanation from God, 
who is eternal, the Melek Taoos, or King Pea- 
cock, who became incarnate as Lucifer, deceived 
Adam and Eve as Satan, and is one of the seven 
gods who in turn ruled the world for ten thousand 
years. They worship the sheik who founded their 
religious system. They also worship fire and the 
sun, and regularly adore the sun by bowing and kiss- 
ing the first rays as they strike on a wall or other ob- 
ject near them. They never spit or throw any 
impurity into a fire, but lave their hands and faces in 
the flames as if to purify them. They hold to the 
transmigration of souls and give a qualified reverence 
to the Scriptures, the Old and the New Testaments. 



Ii8 

The rite which they call baptism appears to have 
been taken from the Christian religion, but it has 
been corrupted. They regard wine as the' symbol of 
the blood of Jesus, and when drinking it they always 
hold the cup with both hands to avoid spilling its con- 
tents, and should a drop fall to the ground they suck 
it up with their lips and swallow the dust with which 
it has mingled. They make the sign of the cross, 
take off their shoes and kiss the threshold when they 
enter a Christian church. Their ceremonies and fes- 
tivals are a proof that they have originated either 
from the Jews or from the Christians. 

Symbolic representations of Melek Taoos in the 
shape of brazen birds, are carried through the dis- 
tricts inhabited by the Yezidis. Two sheiks precede 
the bearer of the sacred bird, carrying censers, in the 
smoke of which the devotees lave their hands and 
faces. When this standard enters a village, the high- 
est bidder has the honor of entertaining it in his house. 
This syitibol resembles a cock with swelling breast, 
diminutive head, and widespread tail; the body is full, 
the tail flat and fluted, and under the beak is a pro- 
jection like a wattle. It is fixed on the top of a kind 
of a candle-stick, and under it, encircling this stand, 
are two receptacles for oil, each having seven wicks, 
and the whole is of brass. At the side of the image, 
there is a jug of water, the contents of which are 
used as a remedy for the sick and afflicted. Seven 
of these brazen cocks are carried about in the Yezidi 
districts during their festivals, and once every forty 
years a priest will visit the people and will circum- 
cise all who are willing. 



119 

Their marriage ceremony consists of a mutual pub- 
lic declaration in the presence of the sheik, who pro- 
nounces a blessing to the couple, and it concludes 
with the bridegroom's giving to the sheik a loaf, and 
receiving in return one of the consecrated loaves, 
which he divides with the bride. When pronouncing 
the marriage oath, the bridegroom stands in running 
water, signifying that he thus washes away the bind- 
ing nature of the promise, and consequently renders 
its breach less sinful. 

Their funeral rites are peculiar and interesting. 
When one of them is at the point of death, a shiek 
is called in, who pours into the mouth of the mori- 
bund a quantity of water. If he should expire be- 
fore this ceremony has been performed, it is deferred 
until his body is carried to the grave. In the coffin 
is placed a piece of bread, some coins, and a stick, 
for the use of the deceased when the time of ques- 
tioning comes. Should the Mounkir (the angel of the 
judgment) pronounce him unworthy to cross the 
bridge to Paradise, the dead man tries to bribe him 
to alter his decision, first with the bread, then with 
the silver; and if these are unavailing, he resorts to 
coercion, and with the stick opens his own way to 
heaven. 

I conclude by asking, shall this class of our fellow- 
men still be left to grope on in their dark course of 
superstition and error, with no one to direct their feet 
into the path of life, to hold out to them the lamp of 
salvation.'' What Christian would not deny himself 
many a luxury for the privilege of imparting the Gos- 
pel to such a people.-* 



CHAPTER VII, 
THE KURDS, 

Zohak, the king of Persia, was famous even for his 
cruelty. It is said that he had sold himself to the 
devil. The devil, in the guise of a favorite servant, 
said to him, '*0 king, live for ever, full of content 
and power, my heart is full of love for thee, and to 
behold thee is all that I desire; I have but one desire, 
to kiss thy shoulders, and to touch them with my 
eyes." This was granted! Alas the king was struck 
with horror as a result, for from each shoulder of the 
king sprouted a black serpent. Zohak searched 
everywhere for a remedy, and finally caused them to 
be cut off. But behold! they grew forth again like 
the branches of a tree. At last, the evil one, in the 
guise of a skilled physician, presented himself before 
the king and advised him to do no injury to the ser- 
pents, but feed them with the brains of men, in the 
hope that they must thus ultimately perish. 

Zohak did not realize this punishment as the wages 
of his sin, but he said, that his flesh was no sweeter 
than that of his nobility, and. that the youngerjthe 
flesh the better it will taste to the serpents. Every 
day lots were cast, and two young men of the flower 
of Persia's youth were slain to gratify the furious hun- 
ger of the serpents. 

The Kurds date their origin from Zohak. They 
have been called Gardu or Karu, the tribe of Kermanj, 

[I20] 




A KURDISH HIGHWAYMAN. 



122 

descended from Madai (Mede), the son of Japhet. 
The Kurds are divided into many tribes, each tribe 
under a certain sheik, and have never ceased to be a dis- 
tinct nationality. They are great enemies of one 
another, and of all. They are against every man, 
and every man's hand against them. They are 
counted the wildest people in the East, occupying a 
position on the border of several kingdoms. 

They have two general divisions, each with two 
sub-divisions. First — the Jaff race, divided into Ker- 
manj and Kuran; second — the Wend tribes and the 
Lurs. The Jaff race with their tribes, occupy the 
country from the eastern end of the Black Sea as far 
south as Kurkuk in Turkey and Hamadan in Persia 
and throughout the mountains of Asia minor. The 
Kermanj and their tribes, occupy the vicinity of 
Mosul, Afghanistan, southern Mesopotamia, through- 
out Kurdistan mountains, and all around Oroomiah 
City. The total population of Kurdish races are 
about 5,000,000, 700,000 of whom are subjects of 
our Shah. 

In religion they are Moslems (orthodox) in its ex- 
ternal appearance. Their language has never been 
reproduced in writing, so they have no books or 
schools, but a few read Arabic. They claim they are 
very religious and always pray before they go to rob- 
bery, so as to have good success and not get caught. 
The following dialogue, which a missionary had held 
with one of the nomadic Kurds and the host, may 
serve to illustrate the character of this sanguinary 
people. 



123 

Missionary — Where do you live? 

Kurd— In black tents. We are Kurds. 

M, — What is your occupation.? 

Host— You need not ask him. I will tell you. They 
are thieves. 

M. — Is that true, Kurd.? 

K. Yes, it is true. We steal whenever we can. 

M. — Do you kill people, too.? 

K.— When we meet a man that we wish to rob, if 
we prove the stronger, we kill him; if he proves the 
stronger, he kills us. 

M.— But suppose he offers no resistance when you 

attempt to rob him.? 

K.— If he has much property, we would kill him to 
prevent his making us trouble; if he has not much, we 

v^ouldlet him go. 

M.— Suppose you meet a poor man who has noth- 
ing but his clothes, what would you do.? 

K.— If his clothes were good, we would take them 
and give him poor ones in exchange. If not, we 
would let him pass. 

M.— But this is a bad business in which you are en- 
gaged. Why do you not follow some other occupa- 
tions.? 

K.— What shall we do.? We have no fields to plow; 

and robbing is our trade. 

M.— The Persians vyiH give you land if you will cul- 
tivate it. 

K. We do not know how to work. 

M. It is very easy to learn. Will you make the 

trial.? 



124 

H. — He does not wish to work. He had rather 
steal. 

K. — He speaks the truth. It would be very diffi- 
cult, and take a long time, to get what we want by 
working for it; but by robbing a A^illage, we can get a 
great deal of property in a single night. 

M. — But you are liable to be killed in these frays. 

K. — Suppose we are killed. We must die some- 
time, and what is the difference in dying now or a 
few days hence.-* 

M. — Why do you not come and rob these villages 
as you used to do.'* 

K. — We should have no other place to winter our 
flock; so we give the Persians some presents, and 
keep at peace with them. 

The two things that appeal most to a Kurd are 
plunder and finery. If he can appropriate other peo- 
ple's sheep and goods and dress himself in showy 
colors, he is happy, and then he will pray. During 
his prayer, if a woman touch him, he will ta1<e his 
gun and shoot her, then continue his prayer. He 
believes a woman has no soul; if she touches him while 
praying, she will get the benefit of his prayer, and his 
soul, and thus he will loose both. 

They are lawless and brutal to the last degree; the 
government cannot reach them, only those that are 
in the plains. They have become so identified with 
robbery, murder and outrage, that not merely the 
Christians have come to dread them as demons, but 
the Turks and Persians as well often look upon them 
as their most dangerous enemies. They show no 
mercy to any. They almost live on horseback, with 



125 

comparatively few flocks, and prey upon whatever 
country they happen to enter. They teach their 
boys from the very youth how to become successful 
thieves, and then are proud of them. If any of them 
have no reputation as a first-class thief, he will hardly 
be able to find a wife Their girls generally say, 
we will marry a man, not a coward who is afraid of 
robbery and murder; they often join the men in 
plunder. 

The Kurds generally are a strong, healthy, well- 
built people, and live to a good old age. Their chil- 
dren are as a rule light complected and rosy- 
cheeked, and the young women are models of 
physical beauty. ''When I saw one of the many 
handsome Kurdish girls," says Miliingen, "her com- 
plexion gave me an idea of what must have been the 
bloom of the forbidden apple of the terrestrial Para- 
dise. Her eyes, of a dark chestnut, shone like bril- 
liants through the veil of her thick, long eye-lashes, 
while nose and mouth were perfect in their delicacy 
of shape. Though the garments she wore were not 
of a superior sort, yet through their folds her graceful 
form could be detected; but what above all con- 
tributed to make her really charming was the calm, 
simple, and, so to say, infantine air which distin- 
guished her countenance and the whole of her de- 
meanor. 

Their women do not veil themselves very strictly 
when abroad, and their standard of morality is high 
among the Moslem races of the country; any lapse 
from virtue on the part of a married woman being, as 
a rule, punished by death, and her partner in guilt 



126 

usually shares the same fate. Such punishment is 
considered highly meritorious among the Kurdish 
people as a means of promoting the morality of their 
race. 

The Kurds, being nominally Moslems, the marriage 
contract is made in the presence of a sheik. The 
bridegroom, accompanied by a number of his relatives, 
comes to the house of the bride's father, and, after the 
ceremonies and festivities are concluded, takes her 
home with him on horseback. 

A Kurdish funeral is not so ceremonial as the 
Turkish and Persian funerals. If the deceased has 
been a person of high standing, military standards 
are borne in the procession, and in some places, the 
body is. accompanied to the grave with music and 
singing. When the funeral leaves the house, men 
and women rush out wildly, uttering cries and shrieks. 
Some raise their hands to heaven, others bow them- 
selves to 'the earth, and cast dust upon their heads, 
expressing both in sound and gesture the highest de- 
gree of grief. 

The Kurds have no organized government, but are 
simply a band of robbers and murderers. They do 
not know how to serve God, but they do know how 
to worship their sheik instead of the Almighty, and 
drink the water in which he washes his body, for the re- 
mission of their sins. Oh, how happy is a soul which 
is washed in the blood of the Son of God! How 
happy is a nation whose Savior Jesus Christ is. Oh, 
happy would be a Christian who could bring one of 
these lost sheep into the flock of Christ. Yes, indeed, 
the joy would be great even to the angels of glory! 



CHAPTER VIII. 
THE ARMENIANS. 



The Armenian name is derived from King Aram, 
under whose rule the nation achieved considerable 
power. Some of the Armenians wish to be called 
Haikens, and their country Haiasdan, after Haik, the 
son of Togarmah, the son of Gomer, the son of 
Japhet, the son of Noah. The origin of their language 
was called Aryan (from Iran, a name given to Persia 
by the natives) at the reign of Darius Hystaspis, 520 

B. C. 

According to their tradition Haik established the 
Armenian kingdom in the vicinity of Ararat, and 
from that time on, they were a powerful people, but 
frequently they were attacked by other kingdoms 
more powerful than they. 

In the latter part of the third century, the Arme- 
nians accepted Christianity. Furthermore Armenians 
say, in the time of Christ, Abgar, the king of Edessa 
in Mesopotamia (this king having heard of the miracles 
performed by Christ, and desiring to see and be cured 
by him of a disease with which he was afflicted), 
sent Christ a letter which in the version of Eusebius 
reads thus: 

♦♦Abgarus, king of Edessa, to Jesus the good Sav- 
ior, who appeareth at Jerusalem, greeting: 

[127] 



128 

**I have been informed concerning Thee and Thy 
cures, which are performed without the use of medi- 
cines or herbs. 

For it is reported that Thou dost cause the blind 
to see and the lame to walk, that Thou dost cleanse 
the lepers, and dost cast out unclean spirits 'and 
devils, and dost restore to health those who have been 
long diseased, and also that Thou dost raise the dead. 

''AH which when I heard I was persuaded of these 
two things: 

''Either that Thou art God himself descended from 
heaven, or that Thou art the Son of God. 

"On this account, therefore, I have written unto 
Thee, earnestly desiring that Thou wouldst trouble 
Thyself to take a journey hither, and that Thou 
wouldst also cure me of the dis.ease from which I suffer. 

"For I hear that the Jews hold Thee in derision, 
and intend to do Thee harm. 

"My city is indeed small, but it is sufficient to 
contain us both." 

The reply to this epistle Moses of Khorni attributes 
to St. Thomas, who was deputed by his master to 
write the answer. It is as follows: 

"Happy art thou, O Abgarus, forasmuch as thou 
hast believed in me whom thou hast not seen. 

"For it is written concerning me that those who 
have seen me have not believed in me, that those who 
have not seen might believe and live. 

"As to that part of thy epistle which relates to my 
visiting thee, I must inform thee that I must fulfill the 
ends of my mission in this land, and after that be re- 



129 

ceived up again unto Him that sent me; but after my 
ascension I will send one of my disciples, who will 
cure thy disease, and give life unto thee and all that 
are with thee." 

The king listened to the preaching of Thaddeus, 
one of the seventy who were sent forth by Christ, 
and was healed by him of his disease. Then the king 
accepted the Christian faith, and was baptized with 
all his family. His successor, however, refused to 
follow in his steps, and persecuted all the Chris- 
tians. In the time of Dutad, the Christian doctrine 
was accepted by the Armenians as a national relig- 
ion, and they claim to be the first nation that ac- 
cepted Christianity as the national religion. 

St. Gregory, called The Illuminator, was the 
founder of the Armenian church. He was a prince 
of the reigning family of the Arsacidae, who, hav- 
ing been converted to Christianity, was eager for the 
conversion of his countrymen. He had his patri- 
archal throne at Etchmiadzin, near Enivan, in Rus- 
sia; and now the place where their spiritual father 
once lived, is loved by all. 

Their church was similar to the Greek church in 
its early days, but is now reformed and separated into 
different sects. The fasts and the feasts, the pil- 
grimages to the churches and the saints, the masses 
performed for the souls of the departed, and the 
Romish-like services, are still conducted by them 
at the present time. 

Their churches are roughly built, but of very solid 
construction, decorated with a considerable quantity 



I30 

of tinsel and grotesque paintings; pictures also are 
common on the walls. The men, according to the 
custom of the East, uncover their feet instead of their 
heads, all sit cross-legged on mats or rugs spread on 
the floor, or on a cushion which they bring with them. 
The ladies, so as not to distract the attention of the 
male part of the congregation in their prayers, are 
hidden behind a closely woven partition of trellis- 
work, through which they may stare at pleasure with- 
out being themselves observed. It appears to be an 
excellent and sensible custom, and was instituted so 
as to prevent the house of worship trom being used as 
a place where young men and maidens, if mingled to- 
gether for any length of time, might take advantage 
of that circumstance in order to make love to one an- 
other. 

In point of doctrine there is very little difference 
between the Armenian and the Greek churches; the 
aid of saints and martyrs is invoked as in the Latin 
and Greek church. The national Armenian church 
believes very strange traditions, and holds them as 
Biblical facts. The following one, concerning the 
creation and fall of man, may serve as a specimen: 

God took earth from seven mountains, and water 
from seven rivers to make the clay with which to 
fashion the body of Adam. As soon as the Creator 
had completed his work, the horse approached the 
new being and examined it. Knowing by instinct 
that this creature would desire to mount him, he aimed 
at Adam a kick, and galloped off. His hoof struck 
Adam between his feet, and caused the cleft there 
which man retains to the present day. 



131 

When God the Father had formed the body of 
Adam, God the Son took charge of his maintenance, 
and God the Holy Ghost breathed into him the breath 
of life. 

God loved Adam, but the chief of the angels was 
jealous of this preference. "What," said he, fuming 
with rage, '*is it possible that this plaything of yes- 
terday is preferred to me?" And so wrathful was he 
that he refused to present himself before God one day 
when it was his turn to adore and serve Him. This 
rebel and his sympathizers were in consequence pre- 
cipitated from the highest heaven and transformed into 
devils. Those of them who stopped midway in air 
and began to sing the old Armenian hymn of the 
Guetzo (Stabat), received the name of "suspended 
devils." 

Satan then swore to compass Adam's fall. Under 
the form of a serpent he approached him and per- 
suaded him to eat of the forbidden fruit. The apple 
proved difficult to swallow, and stuck in the middle 
of the throat of Adam, who made fruitless efforts to 
dislodge it. And this is the origin of the protrusion 
seen in the throats of many men, and hence called 
"Adam's apple." 

The sun set for the first time on the day which saw 
Adam driven out from Paradise. He who had never 
known darkness groped about in the gloom for some 
time, beside himself with terror. At last he fell asleep 
and saw, in a dream, Christ on the cross. Awaking 
with a start, he cried, "O Cross! come to my aid." 
He was weeping in the darkness, when Satan came to 



132 

him and offered to recover the light for him on condi- 
tion that he placed his hand on a stone and pro- 
nounced these words: * 'Let those who may be born of 
me be thine." As soon as Adam had accepted this con- 
dition the darkness became deeper, and to this day 
the Armenians call the darkest period of the night 
Atama mouthy "the darkness of Adam." But Satan 
encouraged Adam by assuring him that the night was 
drawing to an end, raised him by his arm, and before 
long pointed out to him the glittering edge of the 
rising sun on the threshold of the east. Since that 
day a star has shone towards morning, and is called 
Lucifer. Satan hid in the Jordan the stone on which 
Adam had sworn, but Christ was baptised on this very 
stone, and it shivered to pieces under His feet. 

Adam, when, driven from Paradise, burned with 
rage. He wished to revenge himself on the serpent, 
on his wife, and on God. But being powerless to 
reach the other two, he approached Eve under cover 
of darkness, who sat leaning against a wild fig-tree, 
weeping. Adam threw her on the ground, bruised 
her with his knees, and embraced her while foaming 
with rage. This kiss gave birth to Cain. 

Eve, terrified, fled away and hid herself in a deep 
forest, where she lived among the apes. Adam, 
wearying of his solitude, went to seek his wife, and 
promised not to ill-treat her again. Eve melted into 
tears, and Adam consoled her by pressing her tender- 
ly to his heart. This kiss gave bii'th to Abel. 

On the following day Adam said to his wife, *'Thou 
didst love me when I could lay at thy feet Eden and 



133 

all its delights. What are thy thoughts towards me 
now, since from a king, I have become a beggar?" 
Eve replied, **I love thee still." And Adam re- 
joined, '*Thy love makes me forget Paradise." But 
the serpent, hidden behind a bush, hissed out: "She 
loves thee, because there is no other man." Eve 
blushed, and Adam stroked his forehead sadly. 

One day Eve called Cain and Abel, who, still little 
children, were playing on the grass. She held out to 
her first-born her right arm, and to her second son 
her left, and said, "Bite them, I command you." The 
elder boy bit till he drew blood, but Abel merely im- 
printed a long lingering kiss on his mother's arm. 
Then said Eve to her husband, "Our Cain will be a 
wicked man." 

One day Cain saw Satan killing a raven with a 
pointed black pebble. Cain picked up the stone and 
cut the throat of his brother with it, and then washed 
his hands. But the stain was still on his hands, even 
when he had washed his hands day after day. And 
so long as Cain lived, he was never able to get rid of 
the blood of his brother from his hands. 

Adam was not tempted by the fruit of the apple- 
tree, but by that of the fig-banana, called "Adam's 
fig" by the Armenians and Persians. 

When God had finished the body of Adam, there 
remained still a little earth in his hands. This he 
threw at the feet of Adam, and it turned into gold; 
so man beheld gold on the first day of his existence, 
and has clung to it ever since. 



134 

Little by little the Armenians were scattered far 
from Constantinople and other larger towns; hence 
they could not take part in the theological contro- 
versies of the early centuries, and became ignorant of 
the growth of the spiritual life of the church, and 
sank into superstitious beliefs, until they declared 
themselves decidedly in favor of the "Monophysite 
doctrine of the natures and person of Christ." They 
would not accept instruction at the hands of the west- 
ern church; having no means of education them- 
selves, formalism naturally took the place of spiritual 
life. The saddest part of all was, that from the be- 
ginning they were under the influence of the doctrine 
and the rule of the Moslems. It seemed quite natural 
to them to adopt their language and religion as well 
as their customs and manners; and the Turks as a sav- 
age people dishonored their families and children; 
then the Armenians became a wandering people over 
Asia Minor and on the northern slopes of the Taurus. 
Others wandered eastward of the Caucasus, which 
was then northern Persia. 

Shah Abbas the Great recognized them as subjects, 
and gave them a district to reside in early in the sev- 
enteenth century. Even unto the present day there 
are about 75,000 Armenians in Persia, among whom 
I have many sincere friends. 

They were looked upon as a Christian nation, and 
yet Armenians as the Moslem tribes carry their 
strange beliefs with them wherever they go. They 
claim that they accepted the Christian faith long ago, 
and still, superstitiousness has a very strong effect 



135 

on their brains. It will be interesting to mention a 
few of their superstitious beliefs, which will give an 
idea of their Christianity. 

Among the Armenians, fire-ceremonies play a great 
part in the Christmas observances and on the eve of 
every important festival. On Christmas eve, the fire is 
piled up as high as the safety of the house will per 
mit, as this is supposed to neutralize all evil effects 
for the coming year. A large log is brought home 
at sunset, the family will rise and greet it with these 
words: "Welcome our log, God has destined thee for 
the fire. Bring good luck to us and to our animals," 
And then a small quantity of food from every dish is 
placed on the burning log. 

On the eve of Epiphany the fire is kept alight all 
night, and in the morning the character of the com- 
ing seasons is prophesied from the set of the wind. If 
a south wind blows, it indicates a full harvest, and 
sickness; if the wind is from the east, a scanty harvest 
and a healthy year are predicted; if from the north, a 
late spring. 

On the first of February, St. Tryphon's day, it is 
considered lucky to work in the fields, but not in the 
vineyards. On the eve of the first of March a leaf is 
thrown into the fire and the name of a member of the 
family is pronounced. If the leaf makes an explosive 
noise while burning, it is held to be a good omen for 
the person indicated, but if it burns quietly, the re- 
verse. 

If a man is about to leave his home for a distant 
town, in order to ensure him a safe and successful 



136 

journey, the women place in front of the door a jar 
filled with unspoken-over water, decorated with ear- 
rings of gold and silver. The traveller touches the 
jar with his foot, takes in his hands the ear-rings, and 
sets out, accompanied for a mrle or two by his rela- 
tives, to whom, when they finally take leave of him, 
he returns the ear-rings. It is considered a bad omen 
for the journey if the traveller should for any reason 
turn or look back. 

When introducing a newly purchased cow into the 
farmyard, some object made of iron or silver is placed 
across the gateway through which the animal is led. 
If the cow steps over the object with the right foot, it 
is considered a good augury; if with the left, the omen 
is unfavorable. Should a hen crow like a cock with- 
out turning its head to the east, it signifies a death or 
other serious misfortune. If, during the night, a 
cock crows at an unusual hour, it is either a sign of a 
change in the weather, or that important news will 
arrive in" the morning. Should the dog howl while 
looking away from the dwelling, it is a sign of death. 
If the cat licks herself frequently, it is a sign of rain. 

It is unlucky and even sinful to give a child a spoon 
to play with, or to bathe it under seven months of 
age. On the first day of lent all the dogs are caught 
and receive a careful beating, to prevent their going 
mad during the year. On the last day of February 
the women will beat copper pans all over the house 
in order to rid the house of insects and snakes, and 
will call out at the same time, "Out with you, snakes, 
scorpions, flies, bugs and fleas." One of these pans 



137 

is then taken up with a pair of tongs and carried into 
the court-yard, as if to induce the creatures men- 
tioned to follow it. 

The effects of the "evil eye" are removed by sprink- 
ling the patient with "unspoken-over" water, (water 
drawn from the well or fountain in silence and carried 
home without the bearer having spoken, or been 
spoken to on the way, is believed to possess highly 
salutary virtues), then three nettle stalks, being 
dipped into it for that purpose, are given the patient 
to eat. Or take six grains of salt, place them on the 
eyes of the afflicted person, and then cast them into 
the fire; or take three pieces of red-hot charcoal, 
place them in a green dish, and pour water over them 
with one hand while making over them with the other 
the sign of the cross. Drink some of the water, 
wash your hands with the rest, and then throw it on 
the ground outside the house. On the last day of 
February take the heads of forty small fishes, thread 
them on a red and white string and hang them up to 
dry. If any person has been affected by the evil 
eye, soak the heads in water and let the patient drink 
the decoction. It is believed any of the above reme- 
dies will cure this most prevalent of all maladies. 

Rheumatism in the hands or feet is cured by bath- 
in^r the affected member three times in warm water, 
rubbing it with salt, and finally passing over it the 
blade of a knife with the words, "As this salt melts, 
so may the evil melt." The house is then swept with 
a new broom, the sweeper saying as the dust is swept 
out, "So may all evil be swept away." 



138 

In the year 1813, the attention of the British and 
Foreig"n Bible Society, was directed to the spiritual 
needs of the Armenians, and this society began 
printing the Bible in the modern language of these 
people. The copies of the Scriptures in the ancient 
Armenian language were extremely rare and expen- 
sive, consequently not only the people, but most of 
their priests could not even read the Scriptures. When 
the Bible was translated into their mother tongue, it 
was received with great favor. The people began to 
meet together for the study of the Word, which gave 
them the knowledge of the hidden treasure. 

As yet no missionary had settled among them; 
still the divine Spirit was their teacher; under 
His blessed guidance many received the truth. 
But when sectarian missionaries mingled with them 
and tried to change their doctrine, it caused great 
numbers to go astray altogether. For as soon as they 
had gained some knowledge of the Word of God, 
different sects tried to teach them new doctrines; as 
was natural they began to say, 'Tf the Christian re- 
ligion is right, why do so many of its representatives 
try to teach new teachings," and a good many drew 
back, either to follow Mohammed, or they kept 
away from the churches entirely. I do not mean to 
judge persons, but allow me to say, that if all those 
who go to the heathen lands carried with them the 
pure teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, not so many 
would find fault with Christianity. Indeed, there 
are no faults or any mistakes in the Word of God; 



139 

but they are at fault who teach the Bible in their own 
ways, who give more attention to their own ideas than 
to the Bible. 

Furthermore, young Armenians had attended the 
schools of Paris and Vienna, and they brought back a 
craze for French literature; not the best, but the 
worst. With this came a revolt against religion. It 
became fashionable to be known as free-thinkers, and 
free-thinking did not mean liberty, but license of 
thought and of life. The church and the nation thus 
became degraded. Even the individual friendship 
lost its binding ties of love, not only. among them- 
selves, but among the other nations also. The result 
is that much animosity- is cherished among both Ar- 
menians and other nations. 

Armenians will have nothing to do with the Greeks, 
and Greeks are bitterly opposed to the Armenians. 
Gregorians and Armenians hate those of their own 
respective races connected with the Roman Catholic 
church, and the Greeks despise Bulgarians, although 
another branch of their own general faith. Nestori- 
ans, Chaldeans, Jacobites, all strive against each 
other. At first they were looked upon merely as one 
additional sect developing an additional nation, but 
of later years all the friendly ties are turned to hatred 
against each other. For instance, once one of the 
Christians prepared a confession of his faith, in which 
he affirmed that the Holy Scriptures are the only in- 
fallible rule of faith and practice. This document 
not being considered satisfactory by the bishop at 
whose request it had been drawn up, he was brought 



140 

to church on the Sabbath, when the bishop, after 
reading the same, immediately pronounced him ex- 
communicated and accursed. His clerical robes hav- 
ing been torn from his shoulders, he was driven with 
great violence out of the church. On refusing to sign 
a paper of recantation he was thrown into prison, 
from which after a short time he was conducted to 
the bishop's palace with the view of securing his signa- 
ture to the Patriarch's Creed. To this, however, he 
declined to attach his name, when not only his beard, 
but all the hair on his head, was shaved off. This was 
regarded a most humiliating procedure. He was led 
back to prison, accompanied by a mob carrying a 
long pole, to the end of which was attached his cleri- 
cal cap and beard. As they went along they shouted, 
* 'Behold the cap of the accursed one." Oh, that the 
true Gospel might become known to them all, and 
they all might look upon Jesus as their priest and 
prophet and Saviour of the world. Oh, that they all 
might love one another, even as Christ loved them 
all. Then we could joyfully say: 

How sweet the tie that binds 
Our hearts in Christian love. 

In the marriage observances of the Armenians, 
among the better class of people, European manners 
are more or less cultivated. But in their leading fea- 
tures the national customs connected with the cere- 
mony itself have suffered very little change. If the 
parties are found not to be related within seven gen- 
erations, and the match is deemed suitable, the be- 
trothal may at once take place. In many cases, the 



141 

young man and young woman have not met until two 
or three days before the wedding, and are conse- 
quently entire strangers. Nevertheless, when the 
arrangements for the wedding are completed, all are 
informed of the appointed day. Marriage must not 
be celebrated on fast days, during dominical feasts, 
or until seven weeks after Easter, but Monday is 
considered a propitious day for the religious cere- 
mony. 

The religious ceremony at the church takes place 
on Monday evening. The priest and his deacon ar- 
rive before the guests assemble, to bless the ring and 
wedding garments. When all have taken their places, 
the priest will repeat the 89th Psalm, after which he 
gives the right hand of the girl into that of the man, 
saying, "When God presented Eve's hand to Adam, 
Adam said: This is now bone of my bones, and flesh 
of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she 
was taken out of man; therefore shall a man leave 
his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his 
wife, and they shall be one flesh. What therefore 
God hath joined together, let no man put asunder." 
Then, approaching their foreheads until they touch, 
he ties upon each, with a crimson silk thread, a small 
cross, the man's cross a little longer than the woman's, 
so that he may have a longer hand over his wife. In 
some places the priest rests on their united heads a 
sword and a cross, which is to remind them that un- 
faithfulness will be followed by the divine wrath, of 
which the sword is a type. 

While they are still holding each other's hands, the 
priest takes the cross and holds it aloft; meanwhile 



142 

psalms are being read, and the priest concludes by 
asking them if they are prepared to bear the burdens 
and fulfill all the duties connected with matrimony, 
and by asking them questions similar to those asked 
in the western churches. 

The bridegroom seats himself on a sofa, prepared 
for this special occasion, and places the bride at his 
right hand. But all the guests will be seated on the 
floor, and if they have no knives and forks to dine 
with, the first fingers and the thumb wilLserve the pur- 
pose. Their weddings last from three to seven days; 
eating, drinking, singing and dancing are the chief 
features of the wedding. 

The bride is dressed in red and pink, and she must 
not go out for forty days. On the fortieth day after 
the wedding, the bride is taken to the fountain or well 
for the first time. As she goes, she must kiss the 
hand of the first person she chances to meet, whether 
man or woman. Having arrived at the well, "she 
anoints the stones with butter, evidently to propitiate 
the water spirits, and throws handfuls of corn to the 
birds. This rite performed, she is entitled to fill her 
pitcher with the limpid water and before bringing it 
into the house, she must spill a small quantity on the 
ground, as some elementary spirit might still be float- 
ing on the surface, and, not being thus thrown out, 
would take up his abode in the house, or enter into 
the body of some person drinking the water. Polyg- 
amy and divorces are forbidden among the Armenians. 
Second marriage is permitted to both sexes, but the 
third one is against the religious law. 



143 

It is customary among the Armenians, as among 
the other Christian nations, to administer the sacra- 
ment to sick and dying persons. After the adminis- 
tration of the sacrament the priest leaves the dying 
person to spend his last moments with those to whom 
he is most closely attached by family ties. When the 
last breath has been drawn, the corpse is carefully 
washed, and a consecrated wafer is placed on the lips 
and secured there with a strip of linen. The ears, 
nostrils and eyes are filled with cotton, wool and in- 
cense; the hands are tied together, and crossed on 
the breast; and the legs are fastened together by the 
large toes, and the body is dressed in its holiday cos- 
tume and is surrounded with flowers and fragrant 
herbs. The priest and the deacon proceed to the 
house of mourning to perform a service of prayer and 
song; the corpse is then taken to the church, followed 
by relatives and friends, who show their regard for 
the departed by sighs, groans and tears. 

The service in the church being concluded, the pro- 
cession takes its way to the burial-ground, funeral 
psalms and hymns being sung by the clergy all the 
way and after the arrival at the grave. The priest 
takes up a handful of earth, and, having blessed it, 
scatters it into the grave in the form of a cross, say- 
ing: **May this earth fall with the divine blessing into 
the grave of this servant of God. In the name of the 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." When this has been 
done three times, the body is lowered into the grave, 
and the priest again scatters earth on the coffin in the 
same manner, saying: "Remember^ O Lord, Thy 



144 

servant, and bless, in Thy mercy, his grave. For 
dust he was, and according to Thy will, to dust has he 
returned." Then, making (three times) the sign 
of the cross, he prays: "May the divine blessing 
descend upon the ashes of this our departed one, and 
raise him up at the last day. In the name of the 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost." After some conclud- 
ing prayers the grave is filled, when all kneel and with 
hymns and prayers ask of Heaven the eternal peace 
of the departed. Holding a book containing the 
Gospel over the grave, the priest again blesses it and 
the assembly present, and recites the Lord's prayer. 
The people approach in turn to kiss the sacred book, 
and then disperse. 

A wife is often seen on her husband's grave crying: 

I arose and came to the grave, at the breaking of the day. 

To the grave on the barren hillside where ' 'abou' ' , my husband, lay; 

I called on him by his name, but no answer came again; 

Once more I repeated the cry, but repeated it in vain. 

No dear voice answered my cry, from the rough, forbidding stones. 
He sleeps too deep beneath the earth to hark the widow's moans. 
Who will help his children now, since my calls are all unheard? 
O, form in the grave among the rocks, answer a single word. 

For eight successive evenings the priest visits. the 
house of mourning to offer prayers for the departed 
soul, and to console the afflicted family. 

On Saturday of the week after the funeral, the family 
of the deceased makes and distributes to relatives 
and friends funeral cakes, to remind them that their 
prayers are desired for him. The clergy visit the 
graves on the second, seventh, and fifteenth days 



145 

after burial, in order to repeat part of the funeral cere- 
mony, and so insure the repose of the dead. 

Good Friday is the day ordained by custom for 
visiting the graves of deceased relatives. After 
weeping and lamenting over the remains of their lost 
ones, (some of them may have been dead five or six 
years) the mourners dry their tears and enjoy the 
good things which they have provided for their annual 
festival. 

Whenever two or more children of a family have 
died in infancy, the next one born is passed three 
times through a kind of iron tripod. If still another 
child dies, the next one born is placed where four 
roads meet; a silver cross, for which nine women who 
bear the name of Maro (Mary) have given the metal, 
is laid on its body, and the first passer-by is asked to 
be godfather or godmother to it. If a child under 
the age of nine years dies, the parents engage a priest 
to pray constantly for a period of eight days. 

An Armenian child is baptized when eight days 
old. It is carried to church, accompanied by the 
godfather and relatives. The priest then recites, 
alternately with the deacon, the 51st and 131st 
Psalms, while a string of red and white threads is 
being twisted, which, when finished, is blessed, 
prayed over and reserved for the subsequent cere- 
mony of confirmation. The party advance into the 
porch, where the midwife kneels as many times as 
the infant numbers days. The child is then laid on 
the threshold of the church, where it remains while 
the godfather makes his sacramental confession in 



146 

order that he may perform the office of sponsor while 
in a state of grace. 

After a few ceremonies have been performed, the 
doors of the church are closed, and remain so until 
the 20th verse of the 118th Psalm is reached, when, 
at the words, **This gate of the Lord, into which the 
righteous shall enter," they are thrown open, and the 
men. of the party enter, and advance to the font, 
singing a psalm. The warm water for the baptism, 
which has been brought from the child's home, being 
ready, the priest proceeds to consecrate it by the re- 
cital of special prayers, and by invoking upon it the 
power of the Holy Ghost, and then pours it into the 
font in the form of a cross, the deacons chanting 
meanwhile. After reading several passages of Scrip- 
ture from the Old and the New Testaments, the 
deacon exhorts those present to pray for the peace of 
all the world, for the prosperity of the church, for che 
life and eternal salvation of the Patriarch, for the 
worthy administration of the present rite, for the 
spiritual regeneration of the child, and for all the 
faithful. 

After the repetition of many prayers, the priest 
takes in his hand the cross, the gospels, and the 
chrism, makes the sign of the cross three times, over 
the water, and drops into it three drops of the sacred 
oil, chanting "Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. 
May this water be blessed and purified through the 
sign of the holy cross, of the holy Gospel, and of the 
holy chrism; in the name of the Father, and of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost, " The infant is undressed 



147 

by the godfather and g^iven into the hands of the 
priest, who asks the child: "What dost thou de- 
mand?" The godfather responds: "I demand to 
be baptized." " Dost thou truly demand it ? " etc. 

The child's name is given to the priest, who, with 
his left hand under its neck, and with his right hand 
holding its feet, dips it into the font in such a way 
that its head is toward the west, its feet are toward 
the east, and its eyes toward heaven. Then placing 
the infant in an upright position in the water, he says: 
**N., servant of God, coming by his own will to 
the baptism, is now baptized by me in the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," 
pouring a handful of water over the child's head at 
each name. He then dips the child three times into 
the water. Other long ceremonies are performed 
and psalms chanted. 

In the Armenian church a child is confirmed imme- 
diately after baptism, and receives at the same time 
its first communion. While the "Hymn of the Holy 
Chrism" is being chanted the priest takes the infant 
from the godfather, and, dipping his thumb into the 
consecrated oil, he ma^kes with it the sign of the 
cross on nine different parts of the infant's body, as 
follows: First on the forehead, saying: "May this 
sweet oil, which is poured upon thee in the name of 
Christ, be a seal of the celestial gifts;" on the eyes, 
saying: "May this seal, which is offered to thee in 
the name of Jesus Christ, illuminate thine eyes lest 
thou sleep the sleep of death;" on the ears, saying: 
"May this anointment of sanctification make thee 



148 

obedient to the commandments of God;" on the nose, 
saying, ''May this seal, in the name of Jesus Christ, 
Be to thee as a sweet savor of life unto life;" on the 
mouth, saying: ''May this seal, etc., be to thee as a 
watch, and as a solid door to thy lips;" on the palms, 
saying: ''May this seal, etc., be to thee the cause of 
good works, of virtuous deeds, and of life;" on the 
heart, saying: ''May this divine seal, in the name of 
Jesus Christ, create in thee a clean heart, and renew 
a right spirit within thee;" on the spine, saying: 
"May this seal, etc., be to thee a shield of safety, 
wherewith thou mayest be able to quench all the fiery 
darts of the wicked;" and, lastly, on the feet, saying: 
"May this divine seal, etc., direct thy steps to eter- 
nal life, and keep thy feet from erring." 

The priest then blesses the garments of the child, 
and clothes it, after which, with the red and white 
threads twisted at its baptism, he binds on its fore- 
head or on its little finger a small golden cross, and 
other ceremonies are performed. 

The mother must not go out for forty days. Should 
a sack of flour be brought into the house before the 
expiration of the forty days the child must be placed 
at the door on a seat higher than the sack; and, when 
the latter has been placed in the store-room, the child 
must be passed three times over the sack, or it will 
be afflicted with melancholy and malaria. Also, if a 
funeral train passes within this period, the mother 
must take her infant up to the terrace till the proces- 
sion has gone by. If she fails to do this the dead 
will take the child with him. 



149 

The infant must not be taken out before it is forty- 
days old, nor must it be left alone for fear of the 
devil. Once, however, a woman found it necessary 
to go away on some errand. What should she do 
with her little one.'* To take it with her was as dan- 
gerous as to leave it. So she put it into the cradle 
and placed on its breast as a protection against the 
devil a piece of bread, a pair of scissors, and a picture 
of Christ, and went out. But great was her surprise 
and horror to find the cradle empty when she re- 
turned. She searched everywhere, ransacked the 
house, shrieked and wept, but all in vain. At last, 
after having searched the house thoroughly, she found 
the child standing upright behind the flour-sack. A 
moment later the cock crowed. At sunrise the 
woman hastened to the village priest, and told him 
what had happened. 

*'You cannot have taken the proper precautions," 
said the priest, "and so the devil was able to take 
your child. If you had not found him before cock- 
crow, you should never have seen him again." 

The priest then accompanied his parishioner to her 
house, whence he drove away the devil by means of 
a prayer, which also prevented him from ever return- 
ing. These people are supposed to be Christians, and 
call themselves the followers of Jesus. But in gen- 
eral, according to my judgment, they are in the 
greatest need of divine guidance, as well as are the 
Mohammedans. 

The Armenians in Persia are far more respected by 
the Persian government than are those in Turkey. 




AN ARMENIAN CHRISTIAN LADY. 



151 

They have their national freedom, and enjoy certain 
rights in their home life, and in trade. In Turkey 
they are not only treated as beasts, but are looked 
upon as inhuman beings. 

It will be interesting to note the life of Armenians 
in Turkey and the treatment they receive, things 
which I saw and heard during my stay in the Turkish 
Empire during the horrible massacres of the Arme- 
nians. 

The Turks and the Armenians live together in the 
same towns, in the same villages and in the same 
streets. In" places where the Armenians reside by 
themselves, they are peaceful and obedient to the 
government. Wherever they are mingled with Turks 
they are not only ill-treated, but they are also robbed 
of their personal liberty as well as natural rights. 
Turks, like the wild beasts in their natural state, have 
a fierce and cruel antipathy for the Armenians. It 
appears to be a law of nature, that, unless controlled 
and kept in order by a strong and fearless" govern- 
ment, the Turk will always have feelings of extreme 
hatred toward the Armenian. 

Agricultural pursuits had disappeared more and 
more among the Armenian race and the people little 
by little become known as tradesmen. They had 
found their way into the service of the 'government, 
had made themselves essential to the Sultan and gov- 
ernors, and in many cases amassed large fortunes. 
The trade of the country was entirely in their hands, 
and they were a useful, shop-keeping, and laboring 
people; they had absolute control of every kind of 



152 

commercial and banking transaction. The Turks 
would certainly have starved to death, because the 
former had all the business in their hands, but 
prompted by jealousy, they commenced to murder 
the Armenians and take possession of their property, 
so now conditions have sadly changed. 

In Persia Christians are persecuted by the priest- 
hood of the state, but our government prevents their 
attacks from resulting in a general massacre of the 
nation. There has been talk among the priests about 
the destruction of all Christians; the government has 
said that the Christians are the best subjects and that 
it will be a great loss if they are killed. 

Abdul Hamid, the Sultan of Turkey, and the 
whole Moslem power are in fact a set of barbarians. 
He regards the life and property of his Christian sub- 
jects as his legitimate prey, and his order was to whip 
and kill all the Christians, ''those dogs." 

On the last day of August, 1894, the anniversary 
of Abdul Hamid's accession to the throne, the soldiers 
were especially urged to distinguish themselves in 
making it the day of greatest slaughter. On that 
day the commander wore the edict of the Sultan on 
his breast, and the Kurds openly declared that they 
were ordered to slay the Christians and take the 
plunder for their pay. The Kurds began the butchery 
by attacking the sleeping villagers at night and slay- 
ing men, women and children. For twenty-three 
days this horrible work of slaughter continued, and 
some of the Kurds afterward boasted of having killed 
a hundred Christians apiece. Many young men were 



153 

tied hand and foot, laid in a row, covered with brush- 
wood and burned alive. Others were seized and 
hacked to death piecemeal. In one of the villages a 
priest and several leading men were captured and 
promised release if they would tell where others had 
fled; and, after telling, all but the priest were killed J 
a chain was put around his neck and pulled from op- 
posite sides until he was several times chocked and re- 
vived, after which bayonets were planted upright in 
the ground, and he was lifted into the air and dropped 
upon them. Little children were cut in two and mu- 
tilated. Women were subjected to fearful agonies, 
ending in death. A newly-wedded couple fled to a 
hill-top; soldiers followed and offered them their lives 
if they would accept Islam, but they preferred to die, 
bravely professing Christ. 

No respect was shown to age or sex; men, women 
and infants were treated alike; the women being sub- 
jected to great outrage before being slain. In one 
place about two hundred weeping women knelt before 
the Turkish commander, pleading for life, but the 
brutal ofificer ordered them to be treated like the rest. 
Some sixty young women and girls were crowded into 
a -little church, where after being assaulted, they 
were slaughtered and a stream of human blood flowed 
from the church door. To some other women the 
proposition was made that they would be spared, if 
they denied their faith. "Why should we deny 
Christ.'*" they said, and pointing to the dead bodies of 
their husbands and brothers before them, they nobly 
answered: "We are no better than they; kill us also," 
and it was done. 



154 

Children were placed in a row, one behind the 
other, and a bullet fired down the line, apparently to 
see how many could be dispatched with one shot. 
Infants and small children were piled one on the other 
and their heads struck off. Houses were set on fire, 
and the inmates forced back into the flames at the 
point of the bayonet. In one instance a little boy 
who ran out of the flames, was caught on a bayonet 
and thrown back. 

In this work of destruction the Kurds played the 
most prominent part, but soldiers and Turkish civil- 
ians did their full share. Throughout all the villages 
of Armenia ran the red tide of murder. Hundreds of 
villages were wiped out and their inhabitants either 
slain or exiled. The object was to destroy every- 
thing so completely that the Armenians would have 
no means of livelihood, and have to choose between 
death and Islam. In some villages even the clothing 
was taken from the backs of people, and they were 
left literally naked. An attack was made on the pub- 
lic baths, six naked Armenian women were dragged 
forth and bayoneted, even unborn children in the 
wombs of their mothers were butchered. Infants 
were stuck on bayonets and held up before their 
helpless and frantic mothers. Young girls were 
dragged into the streets by the hair and feet, their 
eyes being torn out, their bodies branded with red- 
hot irons, and even their entrails torn out; the cavi- 
ties were filled with gun-powder, which was then ex- 
ploded. 

It is impossible to give a correct estimate of the 
large number of the Christian Armenians who perished 



155 

in this great massacre; the figures given below are 
approximate, and as they are gathered from Turkish 
sources, may be regarded as being under rather than 
above the mark: 

Armenians killed in towns - - - 20,000 
Number of villages destroyed _ _ - 2,500 
Number reduced to starvation in towns - 75,000 
Number reduced to starvation in villages - 360,000 
Number killed in villages, not known (per- 
haps about) 40,000 

A missionary at Bitlis, related a remarkable inci- 
dent. A soldier, who had aided in the ruthless mas- 
sacres of the helpless ones, was terribly tormented by 
his conscience. He said to his wife: ''There was one 
thing about those women and their children that I 
do not understand and 1 want you to ask the wives of 
the "ghiaour" (Christians; about it. It was very 
strange. The women were offered their lives if they 
would only say: "There is but one God and Moham- 
med is His prophet," but they would not. They all 
died under terrible tortures, calling on "Hissos Naz- 
areetsees." That is what I do not understand. Now 
I wonder who this Hissos Nazareetsees is, whose very 
name made these women so brave, that, with their lit- 
tle children, they could die. That is what troubles 
me greatly." 

The missionary explained it to the Moslem wife, 
who, in turn, told her husband, that the name was 
that of the worshipful Jesus of Nazareth, the Savior 
of the world, whom the Christians serve. 



156 

The following letter written by an Armenian, will 
demonstrate what they endured at the hands of their 
persecutors before the general massacres. 

"My name is Asdadur Giragosian. My home was 
on the sunny side of a high mountain, in the central 
village of the beautiful valley of Geligozan. This 
valley presents a charming scene when viewed from 
the top of one of the surrounding mountains, with 
many villages scattered here and there, and clumps of' 
huge walnut trees between, giving the valley its name, 
'valley of walnuts.' 

"Up to 1894 my family was' prosperous, as were 
most of the families of Sassun. The Kurds who lived 
about us, were, on the whole, friendly, though they 
frequently practiced their habitual business of steal- 
ing cattle and sheep, but we were generally able to 
re-take our own. Our family consisted of twelve 
members, and we had many cattle and sheep. In the 
whole village were two hundred families, and these 
possessed on the average more than 15,000 sheep. Of 
course each of the sixty Armenian villages in the Sas- 
sun district (of which 42 are now ruined) had many 
cattle and sheep. 

"In the spring of 1894, the Kurds began to drive 
away our sheep more boldly than had been usual. At 
the same time the government, suspecting that there 
were many armed revolutionists in Sassun, sent to 
search for them, but failed to find them. They then 
wished to arrest some of our notables and take them 
to Mush as revolutionists, saying, *You have revolu- 
tionary societies here.' We resisted and prevented 



157 

their taking- our men. As I said, the Kurds made 
several attacks that spring, carrying- off our animals, 
and we pursued them and rescued the animals, killing 
one or two men, whom we buried so they could not find 
them. Twice they attacked with this result, but the 
third time we were not able to bury the two Kurds 
we killed, and they carried them to Mush and showed 
them to the government. A great tumult resulted, 
and it was reported, 'The Armenians of Sassun have 
rebelled and massacred the Moslem inhabitants', also, 
'They are armed with rifles and cannon.' The Turk- 
ish government availed itself of the excuse, and in- 
stigated the Kurds to attack the Armenian villagers 
and massacre them. This they attempted to do, a 
large number attacking us, aided by many soldiers in 
disguise. But though the Kurds had been well armed 
by the government, we were able, owing to our 
superior position, to withstand them successfully for 
fifteen days. The Kurds were constantly repulsed, 
leaving many dead and wounded. During this time 
the Turkish soldiers were being rapidly collected in 
Merge-Mozan. About twenty-five battalions of sol- 
diers were gathered there. In these fights with the 
Kurds we lost only seven persons, but three Armenian 
villages were burned. 

**The assembled soldiers now began to attack.' 
One day we heard the sound of their bugles, and 
for a whole day they continued the advance with 
great tumult and besieged Geligozan on the sides. 
The road to a very high mountain named Andok was 
left open, and we were able to carry our families and 



158 

animals there, but this in a hasty manner, while fight- 
ing with Turkish soldiers. The army then divided, 
one part going toward Andok, the other coming to- 
ward us. We had already left the village and taken 
refuge among the rocks above it. Our position en- 
abled us to withstand them all day, but we could see 
that they had burned the village of Husentisk, near 
our own. Toward evening they made a fiercer attack 
and got nearer us. Our ammunition was nearly ex- 
hausted, and we began to retreat. They now set fire 
to our village, and from a distance, in the dark, we 
could see it burning. We fled to Andok, where our 
families and animals had been carried, but seeing that 
it was not a safe place to stay, we left it, and after a 
day's journey over rocks and mountains, towards 
evening reached a ruined church. Here we passed 
the night, but in the morning soldiers appeared and 
and we hastened our flight. All our goods and most 
of our animals we left there. Near evening we 
reached a mountain named Gala-rash (black castle). 
We were very tired and hungry, but had nothing to 
eat, so we killed a sheep and ate it. But few of the 
villagers were to be found, the greater part having fled 
to other places. From this place we fled in the dark 
to the neighboring Kurdish village, where our Aghas 
(chiefs) lived. Before morning we learned that 
Aghpig was also burned. Our Kurdish Aghas came 
out from the village to defend us against the soldiers, 
but did not succeed, and returned to the village, and 
we were obliged to continue our journey, though 
tired and thirsty. 



159 

'♦When it was possible to stop, our first care was to 
find water and kill a sheep for food. The followinpr 
day we learned that Hedink also was burned. Hear- 
ing this we fled to Heghgat, and then to a near moun- 
tain. The next morning we heard that Heghgat 
was burned. We went down from the mountain into 
a valley through which we slowly retreated, changing 
our position every day. But on the third day our 
pursuers appeared, and we left all our sheep and fled 
with our cattle. Soon we left the cattle also. One 
of my brothers, fled with the family, while my other 
brother, his fifteen year old daughter, and I, lagged 
behind and entered a forest, but when two soldiers 
saw my brother, they fired and he fell dead. Hearing 
the noise, the girl cried out and they saw her and 
shot her dead also. They did not find me and towards 
evening I came out of the forest, and hurrying for- 
ward, reached the family and told them of my broth- 
er's and his daughter's death. We wept aloud and 
spent the night disheartened, tired and hungry. In 
the morning, thinking the soldiers had turned back, 
we returned to a village to obtain food. I found my 
brother's body and buried it, but before I had time to 
bury my niece, the soldiers appeared. My remaining 
brother fled with the family, but I entered the forest. 
In the morning I found another refugee in the forest, 
who was seeking his family. He told me he had killed 
an ox, but he had been obliged to leave it because the 
soldiers appeared. We were so hungry and faint that 
we could scarcely walk, but we found the ox and were 
about to cook some meat when the soldiers agam 
appeared. 



i6o 

"So we left the fire; climbed up the mountain, and 
hid behind some rocks. The soldiers saw us, and two 
of them came to find us. We waited there for a few 
moments all trembling with fear. Suddenly a soldier 
appeared, aimed his gun at me and fired, the bullet 
piercing my leg. The other soldier also fired and 
pierced my thigh. Then they came up and severely 
wounded me with their short swords, in the shoulder 
and thigh. I shut my eyes and they thought me 
dead, and were about to depart when they saw my 
companion behind a rock; they fired at him with true 
aim, and I heard his heart-rending cry as he fell. Be- 
fore leaving us, one of the soldiers suspecting I was 
still alive, proposed to cut my body to pieces, but 
his companion objected, saying that there was no 
water to wash the swords. So they merely threw 
some large stones at me, which fortunately did no 
special harm. When the soldiers were far enough 
away, I spoke to my companion to see if he was 
alive, and he answered very feebly, saying he could 
neither walk nor move, and I was in the same condi- 
tion. Oh! our distress then! 'Twas beyond endur- 
ance. I cried to the soldiers, 'We are still alive, 
come and put an end to our misery.' I cried but they 
did not hear me. 

"After awhile two Armenian fugitives passed by 
and saw us, and we besought them to carry us to a 
ruined sheep-cote near by. They were so hungry and 
weak they could hardly walk, and said they were not 
able to carry us, but yielding to our entreaties, they 
made a great effort and carried us there, gave us some 



i6r 

water and fresh cheese and departed. We remained 
there three days, these friends coming to us at night and 
going away in the morning. We soon saw that this was 
too dangerous a place to stay, as we constantly heard 
the sound of guns, and of bullets passing over our heads. 
So they transferred us to another ruin, where we were 
tortured with the heat by day and the cold by night, 
naked and wounded. Our friends did not do much 
for us, as they did not believe we could, live. After 
three' days my companion's mother came, bringing 
some millet to cook for us, but on going out to get 
some water, she heard the sound of bugles and fled, 
but soon returned and cooked it. The next day our 
brothers came with the woman and tried to cook some 
wheat, but were again frightened by the sound of 
bugles and fled; my brother wished to carry me with 
him, but I said, 'It is better for you and the family 
to escape; I must die.' Toward evening they came 
back and carried us on their shoulders to another 
place, where some other families had already taken 
refuge. Soon they were obliged to leave this place 
also, fleeing in haste, and left me there. I remained 
in this dreary place eight days alone with my suffer- 
ing, save that they sometimes brought me a little food. 
After the eight days we heard that a Firman had 
come, ordering the massacre to cease. The soldiers 
then drove any fugitives they met, wounded or not, 
to the ruined villages. I remained in this way among 
the ruins for two months, till my wounds were healed. 
As soon as I was strong enough, I left, and slowly 
made my way to an Armenian village. There I found 
my wife, but of the rest of the family I knew nothing. " 



l62 

No pen can adequately describe the diabolical fero- 
city of the prolonged massacre, and it is impossible 
for me to give the exact picture of the desolate scene. 
I can not write more concerning the tortures of the 
innocent Armenians, nor of the barbarism of the 
Turks, and what I have written, compared with the 
statements of the mournful people, is but a small por- 
tion of the black history that relates the cruelties 
toward the poor Armenians. 

Something most remarkable we learn from these 
people, that is, the steadfastness with which men, 
women and children cling to their Christian faith, 
even through persecution, unto the end. And in- 
deed, they have caused the Moslems to ask: "Who is 
this Jesus of Nazareth, unto whom the women were 
constantly calling.'*" 

Shall we not answer this question unto them and 
carry to them the blessed Gospel of the saving love of 
Jesus.-* 



CHAPTER IX. 
NESTORIANS— ASSYRIANS, 



This ancient nation of the Assyrians, which be^an 
in the form of a church after the time of the apostles, 
has been called by different names, namely Syrians, 
Chaldeans, Jacobites; the larger division being known 
as Nestorians. Each of these particular bodies has a 
history and conditions peculiar to itself and deserves 
separate consideration. 

The first named sect, known originally as the Syr- 
ians, differs from those called Papal Syrians (Syrian 
Papists) which have a different creed and ritual, and 
there is no inter-communion between them and the 
others. The form of Christianity which we meet 
among these Syrian Papists is by no means Jan ideal 
one. The traces of genuine spiritual life are rarely 
to be found among them. Their ancient missionary 
zeal, which carried their learned men throughout Per- 
sia, Tartary, and into China, has long since given way 
to a night of stolid indifference as to the spiritual fate 
of even their nearest neighbors; they themselves ob- 
serve their rites and ceremonies with blind supersti- 
tiousness. 

The Assyrians' faith as described in the ancient 
manuscripts, was pure and evangelical. They believed 
in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy 

[163] 



i64 

Ghost. They believed in two complete and distinct 
natures united in the one person of Christ; the divine 
nature and the human nature of Christ united in one 
complete person. They believed in the sacrament of 
baptism, not as water only, but as water comprehended 
in God's command and connected with His word, for 
the forgiveness of sins, and regeneration in the Holy 
Ghost. They believed in the sacrament of the altar 
— the true body and blood of our Lord, as it was in- 
stituted by Christ Himself. "Take, eat; this is my 
body, which is given for 5^ou: this do in remembrance 
of Me. In the same manner also he took the cup, 
saying: Drink ye all all of it; this cup is the New 
Testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the 
remission of sins; this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in 
remembrance of me." 

The church of the Assyrians is said by many to be 
the oldest of all the churches founded among the Gen- 
tiles. It was for a long time famous for its teachers 
of theology, its schools of learning, and for its ac- 
tivity in spreading the Gospel into the remote em- 
pires of Asia. The remnants of it which are found 
to-day in Persia are but melancholy wrecks of a 
church once so flourishing and progressive. Like 
battered- hulks on an unfriendly shore, they bear 
witness to the fierce storms which have overtaken 
them in the progress of time; storms, now of in- 
ternal dissensions, now of violent theological contro- 
versies, of the heresies of Nestorius, of the papal 
unscriptural doctrines, and of cruel persecutions — 
in consequence of which this church lost its pure 



i65 

religion, and losing the biblical knowledge, has 
sunk into legendary and superstitious beliefs. Their 
language, once aglow with devotion and religious 
thought, is long since dead. Their clergy are sunk 
into deepest ignorance. Even the very manhood of 
this once noble, energetic race, is well nigh crushed 
out of them by the contumely and oppression to 
which they have, been subjected for centuries. Still, 
there are some to-day who with pride cling to their 
ancient faith and scriptural doctrines; they look for- 
ward for the mighty hand of the Lord to deliver 
their nation from the heretical sects, and restore 
them to the true faith of our Lord Jesus Christ; they 
hope the time is near at hand. 

The Jacobites are so called from Jacobus Bara- 
deus, a monk^ who in the sixth century checked the 
tide of desolation caused by Emperor Justinian's 
persecution, revived their declining church, and, 
with almost incredible zeal, spread the faith through- 
out Syria and Mesopotamia. He established the 
Patriarch of Antioch as their supreme head, who 
styles himself to this day the successor of St. Peter. 
They hold strongly to the belief that theirs is 
the ancient church of Antioch where the followers 
of Christ were first called Christians. The Jacobites 
hold what is known as "Monophysite doctrine, the 
oneness of the divine and human natures in Christ." 
They are estimated as some 250,000 souls in num- 
ber. Their chief centers of population are Mardin, 
Diarbekir, Urfa, Mosel, and a district in the west- 
ern mountains of Kurdistan. In their common 



1 66 

speech they use the Arabic, but in their churches 
they adhere to their much revered ancient tongue. 
Their church books are of distinguished origin and 
of venerable date, but scarcely understood even by 
the priests. 

There is nothing much to be said about the Chal- 
deans. They have conformed to the Roman Catholic 
church, and are known as "Uniat Chaldean church," 
under a patriarch, called the ''Patriarch of Babylon." 

Let us turn now to the larger division of the Syrian 
church known as Nestorians. The name Nestorians 
is a name disliked by the Nestorians of to-day. They 
say, We never derived either our doctrine or our rites 
from Nestorius. They say they reverenced him for 
raising his voice against the worship of images, but 
were not in favorof the doctrine which he taught, name- 
ly, that there are not only two distinct natures but 
also two persons in Christ. He also denied the divinity 
of Christ and refused to call the virgin Mary the 
mother of God. But the greater part of the Nesto- 
rians believe in the divine and human natures of Christ 
united in one complete person. They say, "Our 
Savior is the perfect God and perfect man;" "to be- 
lieve otherwise," they affirm, "virtually takes away 
the humanity of our Savior, and thus leaves us without 
a Mediator." Because of their inability to read and be- 
cause of their ignorance they have never applied any 
other name than mother of Christ to the virgin 
Mary, and at the same time they have ever held to the 
human and divine natures in one person in Christ. 
They ask. Where is the propriety of calling our 



167 

ancient church after a bishop who lived in a compara- 
tively late day and with whom we never had any con- 
nection by a national tie? But it cannot be denied 
that there are to-day, both in Persia and Turkey, 
thousands who are following Nestorius. 

Nestorians have taken their name after Nestorius, 
a bishop of Constantinople; he was a Greek, born in 
the latter part of the fourth century, and condemned 
by the Council of Ephesus, in the year A. D, 431, for 
his heretical opinions regarding the person of Christ. 
He separated the two natures in Christ in such a way 
as to establish two persons in Christ. He refused to 
call the virgin Mary the mother of God. He was 
banished to the desert of Lybia in upper Egypt, 
where he died. 

The Nestorians are divided into two great divi- 
sions: Ashiret and Rayats. The Ashiret live in the 
mountains and pay only a nominal tribute to the Per- 
sian and Turkish governments. The Rayats are 
located mostly in the country and villages. They 
are largely in the hands of the Persian landlords or 
Aghas, and sometimes are heavily taxed. 

The Ashiret or independent Nestorians are often 
looked upon as dangerous people. One of the Turk- 
ish pashas said: "These mountain infidels (Christians) 
acknowledge neither pashas nor kings, but from time 
immemorial every man has been his own king." 
They always go armed, are bold and vv^arlike, and no 
Turkish or Kurdish officials or soldiers enter their 
tribal districts except with their consent. It is 
only by most fiercely defending themselves that they 




THEEE NESTORIANS FROM KURDISTAN MOUNTAINS. 



1 69 

have maintained their freedom against the sanguinary 
Kurds, and it is not strange that they sometimes be- 
tray the same wild traits of character as their hered- 
itary enemies. But despite their desperate stand for 
freedom and the fear with which the Kurds regard 
them, they have suffered terrible assaults, which threat- 
ened at the time to utterly exterminate them. Such 
was the case in the terrible massacres perpetrated on 
them by the bloodthirsty Kurdish chief, Badir Khan 
Bey, who, in 1843, brought an overwhelming force 
against them. Their leading men were assassinated 
at a council to which they had been invited to settle 
terms for peace, and almost the whole population of 
their villages was destroyed. 

Naturally, the Ashiret Nestorians adopted the 
Kurdish cruelties and were in the habit of practicing 
them on their own parents and aged ones. At a 
short distance from Lezan a precipice is pointed out 
where the people say their forefathers, before they 
were Christianized, were in the habit of carrying up 
their aged and helpless parents and throwing them 
down the mountain in order to relieve themselves of 
the burden of their support. At length the following 
incident put an end to the horrid practice: A young, 
man, who was carrying his aged father up the precip- 
itous mountain became exhausted and put down his 
burden to rest, when the old man began to weep and 
said to his son, "It is not for myself but for you that 
I weep. I well remember the time when I carried 
my father up the same mountain; but I little thought 
then that my turn would come so soon. I weep, my 



170 

son, to think that you, too, may soon be dashed down 
that dreadful precipice, as you are about to throw 
me." This speech melted the son's heart; he carried - 
back his venerable father and maintained him at his 
own home. The story was told to the others; it led 
to reflection, and from that time the practice ceased. 

The territory of the Rayats, those Nestorians out- 
side the mountains, is situated in the northwestern 
part of the modern kingdom of Persia, and extends 
from lake Oroomiah three hundred miles westward to 
the Tigris, and from north to south for a distance of 
about two hundred miles. It comprises a large por- 
tion of ancient Media and embraces several exceed- 
ingly fertile plains, of which the plain of Oroomiah is 
the largest. It is separated from central Kurdistan 
on the west by a lofty and rugged chain of snow- 
capped mountains. Here is found a great number of 
Nestorians, probably about 75,000, the whole num- 
ber in Turkey and Persia being about 150,000. 

Regarding the condition of the Nestorians from a 
religious point of view, they hold more firmly to the 
legendary standard of doctrine and ritual than to the 
Bible, but manifest less bigotry than many other 
oriental sects. Their feasts and festivals bear a 
close analogy to those of the ancient Jews^ Many 



iSonie of the Nestorians prefer to be called, and call one an- 
other Nazareans, which has been defined to mean Christians 
converted from Judaism, or converted Jews, adhering to the 
practice of the Jewish ceremonies. This would seem another 
reason for believing that the Nestorians were the ten lost tribes 
of Israel. (?) 



171 

days of fasting are observed, as fifty days before 
Easter, twenty-five days before Christmas. Like the 
Pharisees they fast twice a week, and they attach 
^reat importance to these observances. Their clergy 
consists of seven orders, the patriarch, metropolitan, 
episcopas, archdeacon, elder, deacon, and reader. To 
this there is the one exception of the Jelu tribe, 
among whom there exists no rank of clergy, and 
whose religious rites have been preserved from for- 
eign influence. 

The tribes of the Nestorian church, with the excep- 
tion of the Jelu tribe, have the ancient order of 
patriarch, upon whom they look as the spiritual head 
of their church. The Nestorians living in Kurdistan 
and northwest Persia accept the Patriarch Mar-Shi- 
mun as their head, who established his residence in a 
village among the Kurdistan mountain'^s, called Kud- 
shanoos. His successors take the same dynastic 
name of Mar-Shimun, and for nearly four hundred 
years have made their home among these lofty moun- 
tains. Where the valleys broaden out into wilder 
areas the various tribes have built their villages and 
through the centuries have maintained their national 
existence against their Kurdish neighbors. 

Their churches are of a very solid foundation, some 
having stood for fourteen centuries. But interesting 
as are the churches, the religious customs of the peo- 
ple are more so. Each person on entering the church 
takes off his shoes, and testifies his reverence for the 
sanctuary by kissing the door-post or threshold, and 
passes on to kiss the gospels lying upon the altar, 



1/2 

then the cross, and finally the hand of his reh'gious 
teacher. The prayers and the singing or chanting of 
the psalms are all in ancient Syriac language, and 
quite unintelligible to the common people; but one of 
the priests reads a portion of the Gospel, and gives 
the translation into the modern Syriac spoken by the 
Nestorians; and this constitutes the preaching. Some- 
times the reading is accompanied by some explana- 
tions or legendary stories, of which they have many. 
To-day they have Bibles translated into modern Syr- 
iac, but still the priests are in the habit of using the 
ancient language. 

At the sacrament the bread and the wine are con- 
secrated in the sanctuary or "holy place of the 
church," and then brought out by a priest and a 
deacon. They do not believe that the bread and 
wine becom.e the flesh and blood of Christ, as do the 
Catholics, but they believe these elements, when con- 
secrated, to be holy. 

Every member of the church will go forward in 
turn and partake of a small piece of the bread from 
the hand of the priest, and then drink of the wine 
which is held by the deacon. In passing out each 
person receives at the door a very thin leaf of bread, 
rolled together and enclosing a morsel of meat. This 
is a sacrifice (or Nedra) which is made in the 
name of a certain saint for the healing of a sick per- 
son. It is performed at the sacrament occasion tc 
avoid failure. This is a kind of commemoration of 
the "love feast" kept by the early Christians of the 
first and second centuries. They regard it their duty 




A NESTORIAN CHRISTIAN LADY. 



174 

to baptize all their children, but do not believe in re- 
generation by baptism. Their marriages and funeral 
customs are essentially the same as those of the 
Armenians, but they perform them with their own 
superstitious ceremonies. 

The Nestorian church maintained its liberty and 
the practices of its faith for centuries, at home and in 
remote lands. When the Arabs and Persians became 
the patrons of science and learning, the Nestorian 
scholars opened to them the lore of the Greeks, and 
were allowed positions of honor and influence at the 
courts of Haroun Al Rashid and other caliphs. But 
towards the close of the fourteenth century a terrible 
storm burst upon their church. It was then that 
Timour, or Tamerlane, who has been called the 
greatest of conquerors, emerged from the far East. 
Bagdad fell before him, and all the country on the 
Euphrates; then Persia, then Cabul, and then the re- 
gions of the north which were occupied by these Syrian 
Christians. His Mohammedan zeal added fury to his 
inhuman efforts to exterminate every trace of the 
Christian faith. He was far too successful. The 
Nestorian church was dealt a crushing blow at home, 
and its missionary labors ceased. 

There were no foreign missionaries settled among 
the Nestorians until about five centuries after their 
destruction by Tamerlane. The first missionary was 
appointed by the Presbyterian board and was sent to 
Persia in January, 1833. From that time until to-day 
the Presbyterian board has sent missionaries, estab- 
lished schools and distributed their literature among 



175 

the Nestorians. The church of England also has 
sent missionaries who are teaching its doctrines. And 
the Catholics from Paris followed the same policy, and 
introduced papal heretical opinions among this people. 
But as the representatives of these sects are not bound 
by the tie of the same faith, and are seeking to counter- 
act each other's influence, the effect on the minds of 
the people is often to alienate instead of Christianize. 
It must be stated, too, that the work which the new 
sectarians carry on, is not among the Mohammedans, 
but either among the Nestorians or Armenians. The 
strongest proof of this is, we never hear of the con- 
version of any Mohammedan through the means of 
an English or American missionary, but it is by the 
native workers, some of whom are under their boards. 
What these people need is, the Christian doctrine, 
the doctrine of our Lord and Master; and they need 
to learn how they have lived in ignorance and sin, 
and have been blind and without peace of heart. If only 
the Gospel could be brought to them they, might 
come to Jesus. 



CHAPTER X. 

MOHAMMEDANISM AND CHRISTIANFTY 

COMPARED, QUESTIONS CONCERN^ 

ING THE CREATOR AND THE 

FAITH. 



Some of Mohammed's teachings bear analogy to the 
Scriptures, but are far from Scriptural. His analogous 
passages are interesting when placed in comparison 
with the Bible, appearing as perverted versions of 
Scriptural narratives. It is probable that Mohammed 
learned to write only late in life, and to read Arabic, 
and he was ignorant of every other spoken or written 
language; hence he was unable to draw from the Old 
and New Testaments for himself, and was entirely 
restricted to oral instructions from Jews and Chris- 
tians. The following story of the creation may serve 
as a specimen. Mohammed said, On Sunday God 
created the gates of the highest heaven, and called it 
the first day of the week; on Monday the seven 
stories of heaven; on Tuesday He constructed the 
seven stories of the earth; on Wednesday He made 
darkness; on Thursday He created the produce of the 
earth and all that is in it; on Friday he made the 
sun, moon, and stars; and on the sixth day he created 
the whole world, and named the days of the week. 

When God had created the earth, it began to shake 

[176]' 



177 

and tremble; then God created mountains and put 
them upon the earth, and the land became firm and 
fixed; and the angels were astonished at the hardness 
of the hills, and said, "O God, is there anything of 
Thy creation harder than hills?" and God said, "Yes, 
water is harder than the hills, because it breaketh 
them." Then the angels said, "O Lord, is there 
anything of Thy creation harder than water?" He 
said, *'Yes, wind overcometh water; it doth agitate 
it and put it in motion." They said, "O our Lord! 
is there anything of Thy creation harder than wind?" 
He said, "Yes, the children of Adam giving alms; 
those who give with their right hand and conceal it from 
their left, overcome all." The Koran teaches, a 
liberal man is near the pleasure of God and is near 
the hearts of men as a friend,, and he is distant from 
hell; but the niggard is far from God's pleasure and 
from Paradise, and far from the hearts of men, and 
near the fire. The Mohammedans believe there are 
seven classes of men whom God will draw under His 
own shadow on that day when there will be no other 
shadows; the first, a just king; the second, who hath 
employed himself in devotion from his youth; the 
third, who fixeth his heart on the Mosque till he re- 
turns to it; the fourth, two men whose friendship is 
to please God, whether together or separate; the 
fifth, a man who remembereth God when He is alone 
and weepeth; the sixth, a man who is tempted by a 
rich and beautiful woman, and saith. Verily I fear 
God; the seventh, a man who hath given alms and 
concealed it, so that his left hand knoweth not what 



178 

his right hand doeth. We Christians say, God is not 
a respecter of- persons. "God so loved the world, 
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever 
believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlast- 
ing life." 

Mohammed taught, Angels come amongst you (the 
Mohammedans) both night and day; then those of 
the night ascend to Heaven, and God asketh them 
how they left His creatures; they say. We left them 
at prayer, and we found them at prayer. Again says 
He, Ye must not say your prayers at the rising or the 
setting of the sun; so when a limb of the sun appear- 
eth, leave your prayers until His whole orb is up; and 
when the sun beginneth to set, quit your prayers until 
the whole orb hath disappeared; for, verily He riseth 
between the two horns of the devil. But we Chris- 
tians believe, Jesus Christ is among us both day and 
night. We can pray at any time, because God 
always heareth the prayers of His children. 

"Islam as a religion is not true, it has not come 
from God. It does not and cannot satisfy the needs 
of the human heart; it does not reveal God in His 
divine fatherhood, in His love, His justice, and His 
holiness. It does not show man what his own orig- 
inal nature was, nor does it reveal to him what sin is 
and how to escape it. Islam is an anti-Christian 
creed. It is opposed to all true progress, whether 
moral or intellectual, political or religious. This 
being the case, then Mohammedanism cannot take 
the place of Christianity with advantage to any sec- 
tion of the human race. Mohammed is in every way 



179 

unfit to be an ideal of a human being. But Christian- 
ity has a duty to the Mohammedans, one which we 
cannot shirk without incurring serious responsibih'ty. 
Christ died for them as well as for the heathen and for 
ourselves. To us is committed the ministry of recon- 
ciliation, the sacred duty of calling the followers of 
the Arabian anti-Christ to the foot of the cross of the 
crucified Redeemer, whose atoning death they deny 
and whose godhead they blaspheme." 

There is no moral teaching among the Mohamme- 
dans, Nothing is said to strengthen man's char- 
acter, to make him a purer and nobler man. The 
first doctrine in their creed is: ''There is no god but 
God; Mohammed is the prophet of God." Moham- 
med said, the most excellent of all actions is to be 
friendly on God's account, and to be at enmity with 
whomsoever is the enemy of God, of His prophet 
(Mohammed), and of His people, the Mohammedans. 
But the Bible teaches us, whosoever calleth upon the 
name of the Lord, shall be saved. Christ taught us, 
to love our enemies and do good unto all, whether 
Jew or Gentile. The Koran "denies trinity, the 
divine sonship of our Redeemer, His atoning death, 
and His mediatorial office. Mohammed taught his 
followers that Christ had prophesied of his coming 
when promising the disciples the gift of the Holy 
Ghost. Christ Jesus tells us that God is our Heavenly 
Father, loving, holy and just." Mohammed taught 
his followers, there is no similitude whatever between 
God and man, nor is it desirable that there should be. 
The Bible informs us that man was originally ere- 



i8o 

ated in God's image, that he was once holy, but is 
now fallen from this state. Yet God loves him 
and has provided a way for his restoration unto peace 
and the full realization of his being the child of God. 
The Koran, on the other hand, tells us that man was 
created weak, and that he is and always has been 
separated from his creator by a great gulf, but that his 
nature is just and ever will be. Man is in no sense 
a child of God, but he is a slave. We Christians be- 
lieve that sin is the transgression of an eternal moral 
law, which is a necessary part of the divine nature, 
hence sin is contrary to man's original nature as a 
being made in God's image and likeness. Moham- 
medans hold that sin is the breaking of certain arbi- 
trary rules laid down by God for man to obey, and 
that, if they only obey the commandments of Moham- 
med, God will change those rules for the sake of His 
apostle (Mohammed), here or after death, and will 
reward them with beautiful mansions; even those 
that are in hell, will be taken to Paradise, because 
they have kept the prophet's law, though not per- 
fectly. 

Mohammed said to his people. Whenever one of you 
goes to sleep, the devil ties three knots upon your 
head. Therefore, if a believer awakes and remembers 
God, this opens one knot, and if he performs the ablu- 
tion, this opens another; and if he says prayers, this 
opens the last; and he rises in the morning in glad- 
ness and purity. When he washes his face, he washes 
away those faults which his eyes have caused him to 
commit; and when he washes his hands, it removes 



i8i 

those faults which they may have committed, and 
when he washes his feet, it dispels the faults towards 
which they may have carried him, so that he will rise up 
in purity from the place of ablution. The Bible in- 
forms us that salvation consists in the deliverance 
from the guilt and power of sin and in the restoration 
unto our first nature, and of bringing our whole na- 
ture in harmony with God, According to Moham- 
medan faith, salvation means escape from the punish- 
ment of sin, while their mystics would explain the 
word as signifying deliverance from mental ignorance 
regarding God. We Christians believe that redemp- 
tion is to be obtained freely through the atonement 
wrought aut for us by Christ Himself. Mussulmen 
maintain that they will be made righteous by their 
works or through Mohammed's intercession, while 
others maintain that Hassan's and Hossen's death 
were the atonement for sin. We Christians believe 
that Christ was offered to bear the sins of many; and 
unto them that look for Him, shall He appear the 
second time, without sin, unto salvation. Therefore, 
there is no other way for mankind unto salvation, 
but through the Lamb of God, which taketh away 
the sins of the world. 

Mohammed promised his followers a heaven of car- 
nal delight, and told them of a place of torment into 
which they would be cast should they refuse the doc- 
trines which he taught. Says he, When a believer is 
nearly dead, angels of mercy come, clothed in white 
silk garments, and say to the soul of the dying man: 
"Come out, O thou who art satisfied with God, and 



l82 

with whom He is satisfied; come out to rest, which is 
with God, and the sustenance of God's mercy and 
compassion, and to the Lord who is not angry." The 
soul comes out like the smell of the best musk, and 
it is handed from one angel to another, until they 
bring it to the doors of the celestial regions for its 
rest. But when an infidel (a Christian or a Jew) is 
near death, angels of punishment come to him, clothed 
in sackcloth, and say to his soul: "Come out, thou 
discontented, and with whom God is displeased; come 
to God's punishment." Then it comes out with a dis- 
agreeable smell, worse than the worst stench of a 
dead body, and they bring it to the place of its pun- 
ishment, where other infidels are to be punished. The 
angels throw them into hell from a height of forty 
years' journey. We Christians are informed of two 
ways — one which leadeth to destruction, and many 
are they who wander on it; the other, which leadeth 
unto life, and few are they who find it. All who enter 
the narrow gate, will be rewarded and called the chil- 
dren of God; while the others will be separated for 
everlasting damnation. 

Every individual Christian knows that all the 
Mohammedans are lost if they do not confess their 
sinfulness and their need of an atonement for sin, and 
believe in Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, who has atoned 
for their sins. It is a marvelous field for us to labor 
in. We must go with the cross of Christ to conquer; 
the religion of the Arabian anti-Christ shall then fade 
before the powerful Gospel of our Lord. I do not say 
there is no Christian work done in Persia; there are 




A SYRIAN CHRISTIAN LADY. 



1 84 

some workers, but they are not qualified to satisfy the 
needs of hungry souls. We must ask our Father to 
send faithful workers for that great field, who are 
qualified to teach the true way to salvation and are 
not afraid even of death, but are willing to give up 
their lives for the service of the Truth. We must 
not say, "If God wants to convert the heathen. He 
can do it without us." You and I are the very per- 
sons to do great work for His name's sake. Some of 
them know something about God, but do not worship 
and follow Him. The sons and daughters of Persia 
are bound by the Arabian anti-Christ. Dark clouds 
have covered their spiritual sight. Some of them 
understand the difference between right and wrong, 
but their hearts are tightly closed. No windows are 
to be seen for God's sunlight to turn their night to 
day. They are dead in trespasses and sin. They will 
be overtaken by death, and at beholding the glory of 
Him, whom they served not on earth, will hide their 
faces in fear and trembling. Every one of them will 
then know that the wrath of God is upon them. 

The weakness of Mohammedanism in Persia gives 
us opportunity to convince the people of their 
false religion. We invite them to search their Koran 
and tell us what they find there that will satisfy the 
needs of the soul. It is needless to say, Mohammedan- 
ism knows of no atonement and no Savior. I may 
be permitted to quote from my first volume, "Mo- 
hammed the Last Prophet," the following conversa- 
tion between a Mohammedan and myself: 



i85 

Myself — Good morning, my friend, Mohamme- 
dan. Where are you coming from? 

Mohammedan — I am coming from a visit to my 
prophet's grave, who is the last prophet; and God 
spake to him to lead us, his people, in the fellowship 

of Him. 

My. That Mohammed who slew thousands of in- 
nocent Christians.!* 

Mo.-^He had zeal for his people; and wanted his 
book to be read by all, because it was the last divine 
revelation sent from God. 

Mo. Well, Christian, where are you coming from.? 

My. I am coming from the Hill of Calvary and 

grace of God, through His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Mo. — He was not the Son of God. If He had 
been, no one could have killed Him. But He died, and 
will never be seen again. 

My. — He is a king to-day and forever; there will 
never be an end to His kingdom; He died for our 
sake, the God His Father raised Him from the grave, 
and He lives forever. He has called us brethren, 
and all who do not believe in Him will be lost. 

Mo.— How am' I to know that He is the Son of 
God, and died to save all the world, as you say, 
and was raised from the grave, as I have never 
heard such things before, and gave salvation to all 
that believe in Him.? And you say he is living in 
heaven to-day, and forever; and you also say that 
He will come again.? 

My. Here is a book, the Bible; read it and see 

if you have read such a book before. And see life 



i86 

eternal in it. I am sure you will like all its teach- 
ings better than. Mohammed's. It tells us to be lov- 
ing, faithful, true to God, to love our enemies, and 
forgive all that have sinned against us. Altogether, 
it is full of blessings and life. Christ is gone before 
us to prepare a place for each one that gives Him 
his heart and calls Him his Savior. You see, neither 
your book nor your prophet teaches these truths. 

Mo. — You do not mean this book will give me 
life' and all that you say.-* 

My. — This book, which is His word, will tell you 
all about Christ. If you read it and ask Him to 
help you, you will experience His blessings upon you. 

Mo. — Suppose I believe in Him, can He make me 
a place in heaven.-* 

My. — Not only for you, but for all Mohamme- 
dans and other nations. Come, leave your idle 
hopes; become a Christian brother. 

Mo. — Dear me, what about Mohammed.? If he 
knows I am going to leave him he will be angry 
with me. Then your Christ must be known pretty 
well in heaven.? 

My. — You heard me say He is the Son of God. 
He and His Father are one. Both are everywhere. 
Without Their will nothing is done on earth or 
above. Therefore, heaven is His throne, earth under 
His feet. He is ruler of all and in all. Truthfully 
He says: * 'Heaven and earth shall pass away, but 
My words shall not pass away." If you will accept 
Him as your Savior He will take care of you accord- 
ing to His promise. You do not need to be afraid 



i87 

of Mohammed. If he asks you, why did you leave 
me, tell him that Absalom Shabaz gave me a bet- 
ter book to read, and I obeyed its teachings. 

Mo.— I never heard of these teachings before. I 
always thought Mohammed was the only true 
prophet. But now I can read and hear. There is 
no name under the heaven to give salvation to 
mankind only Jesus. 

My. Will you obey Him and be one of His 

children.^ 

Mo. I always seek the right religion. I am sure 

I have got it now. Not only I myself will accept 
Him as my Savior, but I will work to bring my 
people to the light of His Gospel. 

Large communities of people in Persia were never 
and are not at present content under the Moslem sys- 
tem and they bear it as a yoke; others are weary of 
the bondage of a false religion,and of long pilgrimages; 
while thousands join the mystical belief of the Babb, 
which is undermining the whole structure of Islam. 
The fire-worshipers have tried and are trying by the 
doctrine of Ahura to bring their divine near them, 
and behold they have placed it beneath them. ' Yet 
they feel not satisfied and ask Ahura, their supposed 
creator: Lite, and birth, and death, and change, 
what are they.? I ask of thee, who was the father 
and creator of righteousness in the beginning.? Who 
established the sun and the stars in their way.? Who 
upholds the earth and the skies that they fall not.? 

1 They could not tell which of these-fire, sun or water is su- 
preme, so each become supreme in turn. 



i88 

Who made the waters and the trees? Who is in the 
winds and storms that they so swiftly run? Who, O 
Ahura, has created the good minded beings? 

I ask of thee, O Ahura! Who created, perfect, 
the light and dark? Who created moon, morning 
and night, and the laws which tell the priest his 
duties? Who causes the moon to wax and wane? 
These, with what is known else, I desire to know. 
To know these things, I approach thee, O Ahura, 
Mazda, bounteous giver of all good. 

These poor creatures wait for the answer to their 
prayers and questions, but there comes no answer 
from Ahura. Why, Ahura! art thou dead, art thou 
asleep, art thou too busy to answer our prayers? 
Ahura does not hear; the imagination cannot supply 
their deep need, their hearts' distress rises, beyond 
measure, but there is no answer. Then, they speak 
kindly after Ahura, m order to win him back, to ob- 
tain his blessings, and to get refuge under his shadow; 
but in vain, there is no answer. They themselves 
try to comfort one another in saying: Ahura has 
created us, has formed us and keeps us. Ahura! for 
whose kingdom, power, and mighty works, we praise 
him above all beings worthy to be adored, who 
dwells with us, with our herds to protect them. The 
Fravashis^ of the pure, we praise; the best purity, 
fairest, immortal, glorious, containing all that is good; 
the good spirit, the good kingdom, the good law and 
the pure wisdom. 

^ The guardian angels. 



1 89 

The clouds and mountains, all which the eye be- 
holds through the good mind, sun, stars, and morn 
which ushers in the day — all move to thy praise, O 
righteous Ahura. And I with my mouth will sing 
thy praise, in truth, as long as I have breath. Let 
the creator aid with good mind all that increaseth 
right conduct, by his will. 

Is it not important for the stewards of the Gospel, at 
once to awaken within themselves the feelings of deep 
and active charity for these benighted multitudes 
of a false religion.-^ Is it not time to use the weapons of 
Truth.'* O, how little is done for Persia, for the num- 
bers that are carried astray by the Arabian anti- 
Christ! What field anywhere can compare with 
Persia for the wonderful possibility for preaching the 
Gospel.'* Yes -indeed, we must satisfy the needs of 
thousands who have never heard the cheerful message 
of the Savior. Many are eager to hear the truth. 
Great numbers are dead and dying, who never heard 
a word to comfort their souls; are moving in the 
depths of the dark world, have ears and eyes, but are 
powerless in sight and hearing; scattered in all direc- 
tions, guided by false prophets and shepherds. Be- 
hold, they are sinking away! The precious souls are 
sinking into the gloom of eternity's night. Throw 
out the life line, my brother! Save the drifting souls, 
by giving them tidings of the humble Shepherd! 

What shall we do for these people.-* What would 
Jesus do.-* Can he answer the wants of the East as well 
as the demands of the West.-* Can He rouse the 
dreamy Oriental as well as inspire the energetic Occi- 



190 

dental? Can He be to the Orient all that Mohammed 
is, yea more? By all means He can do more. He 
whose light can strike into the shadows of the moun- 
tain cave, He, too, can shine into the darkened heart 
of man and reveal its secrets. He who so loved the 
world that he sent His Son, not to condemn the world, 
but that the world by Him might be saved, He, too, 
can fill His children with the power of His Spirit for 
the advancement of His Kingdom, 

What have Mohammed and Zoroaster done for the 
East? Have they satisfied the deep need of those 
people? Nay! they have not. Is Christ like unto 
them? Is He a creature as they are? Nay! He is 
not. He is not an effect as they were; He is a cause, 
a person, a king; the king of kings. He is perfect 
God and perfect man. He is He, who lays His hand 
on nature's rocks and they are as . the wax in his 
fingers. His voice calls back the dead. Unto His 
voice the waves and winds hearken. He is nature's 
master. He drives back with a word the cloud of 
sorrow, and the darkened life blooms with beauty as 
heaven's light rushes in. He touches the soul all 
shriveled up with sin, and life leaps and walks and 
glorifies God. All this the God- man Jesus does. 
Can He not also cleanse the sinful hearts of the 
Orient? Yes, indeed. He can. We also as his fol- 
lowers must advance, encourage and help the mes- 
sengers of His Gospel, to baptise any man who says, 
I believe in Jesus Christ the only Son of God. Then 
no hand can write, nor tongue can speak, the blessings 
to those who send the news of the Gospel abroad. 



Anyone wishing a larger booh on 
Persia, please write to the Author 
and secure "Persia by a Persian." 



